Temple University Athletics
Drexel Beats Temple For First Time Since 1982 With 69-54 Victory
12.22.06 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 22, 2006
PHILADELPHIA - Head coach Bruiser Flint may have said it best in his post-game press conference when he noted that "this isn't the Drexel of old." The often overlooked program from West Philadelphia continues to make a name for itself this month as the Dragons defeated Temple for the first time since 1982 with a 69-54 win on Friday night at the Liacouras Center. Drexel, which won for the sixth straight time, has downed Saint Joseph's, Villanova, #23 Syracuse and now Temple on the road in the past three weeks.
"I just want to praise the Drexel group," Temple head coach Fran Dunphy said. "They're a real good basketball team. They didn't beat St. Joe's, Villanova and Syracuse on the road because they're chopped liver."
The Big 5 outsider has taken down three city schools and only a slip-up at Penn in November has spoiled a perfect record in Philadelphia contests. Drexel (8-2) earned tonight's win with a balanced effort, as Frank Elegar and Scott Rodgers led four Dragons in double-figures with 13 points apiece.
"It's a little different than it was in the past," Flint said. "I have to remind my team that we can be a really good team."
Senior Dustin Salisbery paced Temple (5-4) with 15 points, while sophomore Dionte Christmas was held to 12 points. The Dragons were the first team to really clamp down on the Atlantic 10's leading scorer, although two early fouls sent Christmas to the bench which disrupted his rhythm.
Drexel's 44-25 advantage on the boards was to be expected, as the visitors started a pair of big men at 6-9 or above in Elegar and senior Chaz Crawford. With Temple often showing a four-guard lineup with 6-6 senior forward Dion Dacons (team-high seven boards) manning the middle, DU was able to clean the glass.
What was surprising was Drexel's season-high 28 made free throws, compared to just 10 for the hosts. The Dragons made the most of their time at the charity stripe, converting on 78% for the game. The Cherry and White continued to struggle from the foul line, shooting 10-for-17 (59%) for the game and a dismal 2-for-9 (22%) in the second half.
Temple led by as many as six points in the early going as Drexel only converted on just two field goals in the first 11 minutes. But 10-for-12 shooting from the free throw line kept the visitors in the game. Redshirt freshman Kenny Tribbett set career-highs in points (10) and rebounds (seven) in the first half alone. He added another basket in the second half, but it was his play in the opening stanza that kept DU in the game.
"He saved us in the first half," Flint said. "He's been coming along."
Drexel held a slim 31-30 lead at halftime and the first 13 minutes of the second half were back-and-forth. But a 12-2 run over the next four minutes, which featured nine points from the foul line, put the game away for the Dragons.
Bashir Mason added 10 points and seven boards for the Dragons while Randy Oveneke grabbed a game-high eight boards. Besides Salisbery and Christmas, no other Temple player scored more than six points in the team's lowest scoring output of the season.
The Owls had won eight straight in the series and 23 of the last 25 prior to tonight's loss. The last Drexel win was a 61-56 on March 3, 1982 in the East Coast Conference Tournament at McGonigle Hall.
Temple returns to host Lafayette on December 28 at 7 p.m. The Owls will honor the 1956 team, which reached the NCAA Final Four for the first time in the program's history, at halftime.
