Temple University Athletics
Christmas, Kirkendoll Help Give Dunphy His First Win At Temple
11.29.06 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 29, 2006
PHILADELPHIA - Last season, the only time Dionte Christmas and DaShone Kirkendoll were only able to show off their shooting prowess was in practice. This year, the long-range snipers have the opportunity to shoot as often as they would like in new head coach Fran Dunphy's free-flowing system. Each player set career-highs on Wednesday night, as Christmas (27 points) and Kirkendoll (20) combined for nearly half of the Owls' points in handing Dunphy his first win on the Temple sidelines, a 77-54 victory over Rutgers at the Liacouras Center.
Both guards found most of their success from behind the three-point arc, combining to shoot 11-for-13 from long distance. Rutgers played primarily a 2-3 zone in the second half, allowing for plenty of open looks for the Temple perimeter players. Christmas looked as confident as ever on the court and has now established new career-highs in each of his three games this season.
"I've been shooting the ball well and feel pretty confident," Christmas said. "I have a bigger role this year and I know I need to step it up."
Dunphy praised both players for their play against the Scarlet Knights.
"They like their role tonight because they made a lot of shots," Dunphy said. "If we have DaShone Kirkendoll, Dionte Christmas and Dustin Salisbery open for jumpers, I'll take that anytime."
The two players dominated the scoring column, but it was far from a two-man show for the Cherry and White. Senior Dustin Salisbery had 11 points, including nine key ones in the first half, while classmate Dion Dacons and junior Chris Clark each set career highs in rebounds (10) and assists (seven), respectively.
"Coach Dunphy has really opened up the offense for a lot of the players that didn't have the opportunity last year," Dacons said. "It gives you a lot of confidence when you know that you can use your ability to help the team win games. Tonight was a major stepping stone for DaShone and Dionte."
Dunphy played primarily a seven-man rotation until the game was all but decided. Several players took advantage of their first minutes of the season, as sophomore Anthony Ivory and freshman Luis Guzman each scored for the Owls.
Holding just a two-point lead at the 6:10 mark of the first half, Temple scored 31 of the next 38 points to snap a four-game losing skid to the Scarlet Knights. The last TU win in the series was a 56-38 victory on December 19, 1998.
Temple took the lead for good on a Christmas three-pointer with 9:32 to play before halftime. But it was the 17-4 run to close the half that separated the two teams. Kirkendoll had two triples during the spurt, which featured six different scorers for TU, and opened up a 38-23 lead for the hosts heading into the locker room.
The second half was more of the same for Temple. This time it was a 14-3 run that turned a safe lead into a comfortable one. Five minutes into the second stanza, the Owls held their largest lead of the game, 52-26, and never looked back.
J.R. Inman led Rutgers (1-5) with 12 points and nine rebounds. Adrian Hill and Anthony Farmer each scored 11 for first-year head coach Fred Hill.
Temple (1-2) hosts Long Beach State (2-3) on Saturday at noon. The game will be broadcast on WPHT 1210 AM.
