Temple University Athletics
Temple Travels To Villanova for Big 5 Opener Saturday
12.29.06 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 29, 2006
PHILADELPHIA - Temple (6-4) travels to Villanova Saturday for its first Big 5 game of the season. The Owls will be making their first trip to the Pavilion since December 31, 2002 and will be in search of their first win in the building since Nov. 29, 1990. Each team owns 40 wins in the series and the Wildcats have won four of the seven meetings at the Pavilion.
Villanova enters the contest with a nine-game win streak in city-series play, including a 64-51 win over La Salle at the Pavilion on December 23. Temple, the all-time winningest team in Big 5 history with a 109-79 record, posted a 1-3 city-series mark in 2005-06.
Sophomore guard Dionte Christmas continues to lead Temple and the Atlantic 10 Conference in scoring with a 20.7 average. Senior guard Dustin Salisbery (17.5 ppg.) and junior guard Mark Tyndale (14.0 ppg.) also score in double figures. Senior forward Dion Dacons (7.0 rpg.) tops the squad in rebounding while also averaging 6.8 points per game.
Villanova has compiled a 9-2 record and has won seven of its last eight games. The Wildcats only blemish during that stretch came against Drexel at the Pavilion, 81-76, on December 9.
Senior forward Curtis Sumpter leads Villanova in scoring (19.5 ppg.) and rebounding (6.0 rpg.). Junior guard Mike Nardi also averages double figures (14.5 ppg.) while topping the team in assists with 51.
Villanova out-rebounds its opponents by 6.6 caroms per game while the Owls have struggled on the glass, being out-rebounded in all but one game. The Owls have a -6.1 rebound margin on the season.
First year Temple coach Fran Dunphy owns a 3-9 record against Villanova all-time, but is 2-3 against the Wildcats during head coach Jay Wright's six seasons.
