Temple University Athletics
Owls Overwhelm Long Beach, 74-49
12.2.06 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 2, 2006
PHILADELPHIA - The Long Beach State men's basketball team hasn't traveled to the East Coast for a game in seven years. The way things went for the 49ers on Saturday, they won't be back for a long time. Temple parlayed a 26-2 run over 11 minutes in the first half into a 30-point halftime lead and coasted to a 74-49 victory over the Beach at the Liacouras Center. Sophomore Dionte Christmas led all scorers with 20 points and classmate Sergio Olmos posted his first double-double with career-highs of 11 points and 11 rebounds.
The Owls (2-2) played with energy on both ends of the court in the first 20 minutes. On offense, the Cherry and White moved the ball with precision, making the extra pass for an open look. Defensively, Temple had hands in the passing lanes and was diving for loose balls.
Olmos had the best game of his young career. His career-highs were set in the first half alone, when he scored nine points and grabbed ten boards. He was credited with three blocks but altered a handful more.
"This game gave me a lot of confidence," Olmos said. "I think it will help me the rest of the season."
Long Beach State (2-4) started five seniors, but ironically, the younger Owls looked like the more polished team. After opening the season with losses to Kent State and Buffalo, Dunphy said that his team may be finding their identity.
"I don't know if we were ready to beat Kent State and I don't know if we knew who we were," Dunphy said. "There is a lot of progression out there and I think we're starting to understand who we are a little bit better."
The 49ers scored five points in the opening minute of the contest but only scored eight more the rest of the stanza. Christmas was the major force during the 26-2 run, scoring 10 points and creating havoc on defense. He scored seven straight points early on, punctuated by a steal and fast-break dunk that gave TU a 9-5 lead at the first media timeout.
"I thought Dionte made a couple of big plays on the defensive end that got us some easy baskets," Dunphy said.
Leading 43-13 at the break, Temple stretched the advantage to as many as 36 points in the second half. Long Beach dropped its third straight game by at least 18 points and completes its weekend tour of the East Coast with UMBC on Sunday.
Junior Chris Clark split point guard duties with sophomore Semaj Inge and did a commendable job running the TU offense. He dished six assists in 19 minutes and hit a pair of three-pointers.
"When I get in the game, I'm just trying to push the ball and get guys open shots," Clark said. "I think when we run, we're at our best."
Senior Dustin Salisbery was the third Owl to reach double figures with 11 points. Sterling Byrd led the 49ers with 12 points.
Temple wraps up a four-game home-stand with Western Michigan on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on WPHT 1210 AM.
