Temple University Athletics
Temple Homestand Continues With Saturday Game against Long Beach State
11.30.06 | Men's Basketball
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Nov. 30, 2006
PHILADELPHIA - Fresh off its first win of the Fran Dunphy Era, the Temple men's basketball team hits "The Beach" Saturday afternoon when Long Beach State makes its first visit to the Liacouras Center for a noon tip-off. It will also be "Mustache Day" at the Liacouras Center in honor of the Owls' new head coach and any fan that sports a mustache will receive $5 off the purchase of a ticket at the box office.
An unfamiliar foe to Owl fans, LBSU (2-3), the preseason pick to win the Big West Conference, is making its first trip to the East Coast since 1999. The teams have only met once, that coming on January 4, 1972 when the eighth-ranked 49ers topped the Owls, 95-83.
Dionte Christmas led the Owls in their 77-54 win over visiting Rutgers Wednesday night at the Liacouras Center. The sophomore guard scored 27 points, his third straight career-high scoring performance, on eight-of-12 shooting from the field, including five-of-six from three-point range. Christmas leads the Cherry and White and ranks second in the Atlantic 10 Conference in scoring with a 20.7 average.
Junior DaShone Kirkendoll (13.0 ppg), who notched a career-high 20 points in the Rutgers win on six-of-seven shooting from long range, tops the Conference in three-pointers made per game (3.67) with Christmas ranking second (3.33 pg.) in the category. Both are hitting 50 percent from beyond the arc. As a team, the Owls average an A-10 leading 9.33 three-pointers per contest.
Senior co-captains Dustin Salisbery (16.3 ppg.) and Dion Dacons (7.3 rpg.) are also off to solid starts.
An unfamiliar foe to Owl fans, LBSU (2-3), the preseason pick to win the Big West Conference, is making its first trip to the East Coast since 1999. The teams have only met once, that coming on January 4, 1972 when the eighth-ranked 49ers topped the Owls, 95-83.
The 49ers, under the direction of fifth-year head coach Larry Reynolds, are a veteran-laden team, with five seniors in the starting lineup. The backcourt tandem of Aaron Nixon (16.6 ppg.) and Kevin Houston (8.0 ppg., 5.2 apg.) is the strength of the squad with 6-6 forward Sterling Byrd (13.2 ppg., 6.8 rpg.) providing an inside threat.
