Temple University Athletics
Undersized Owls Fall to Hawks, 80-67, In A-10/Big 5 Clash
1.10.07 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 10, 2007
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PHILADELPHIA - There were only 15 minutes on Wednesday night where Temple had a player taller than 6-6 on the court. Facing a Saint Joseph's front court that had three players measuring at least 6-9 proved to be too daunting of a challenge for the Owls, as the hosts dropped their fourth straight contest on Wednesday night, 80-67, at the Liacouras Center. Junior Mark Tyndale, making his first start of the season, scored a season-high 23 points to lead the Cherry and White.
Head coach Fran Dunphy inserted Tyndale into the lineup for the first time to jump-start the junior, who averaged just eight points in his previous two contests. Unfortunately, that meant less time for 7-0 center Sergio Olmos. The Owls played the majority of the game with four guards and 6-6 senior Dion Dacons playing an undersized center.
Saint Joseph's took advantage from the get-go, with sophomore center Ahmad Nivins being the main beneficiary. The Jersey City, N.J. product scored 20 points, grabbed eight boards and was a perfect 8-for-8 from the foul line. Junior Rob Ferguson, at 6-8, and classmate Pat Calathes, at 6-10, scored 17 and 14 points, respectively.
"We knew Nivins was going to be a presence down there and he was," Dunphy said. "And he stepped up and went 8-for-8 from the line. That can really deflate you."
The Hawks (10-5, 3-0 A-10, 1-0 Big 5) held a 34-24 advantage in points in the paint and out-rebounded the Cherry and White, 28-25. The margin may have been even higher had St. Joe's not shot a season-high 57.8% from the floor. On the line, SJU was an impressive 21-for-23 (91.3%).
Dunphy was also disappointed with his team's effort, saying that Saint Joseph's "will to win was greater than ours. They have a great toughness and desire to succeed."
Senior Dustin Salisbery, who was honored for scoring his 1,000th point on Saturday at Xavier, caught fire early in the second half and ended with 15 points. He scored eight points in a three-minute span to cut the deficit to 52-46 with 13:04 to play. Temple would get no closer the rest of the way as SJU extended the lead to as many as 14 points. It was the Hawks' ninth win in their last 10 meetings with their city rivals.
Sophomore Dionte Christmas, who continues to lead the A-10 in scoring, was held in check by a pair of ball-hawking defenders. Freshmen Garrett Williamson and D.J. Rivera clamped down on the Temple guard, holding him to single-digits for the first time this season with nine points. The sophomore shot 2-for-12 from the floor and committed a team-high four turnovers.
"I think he forced the issue, jump-shot wise, a few times," Dunphy said of his leading scorer. "But I wouldn't trade him for anyone at all. He's a great guy and wants to win badly."
The Owls stormed out to an 8-2 lead and led by as many as nine points, 15-9, with 13:55 to play in the first half. Saint Joseph's responded with a 19-4 run of its own over the next eight minutes to take a 25-19 lead. The freshmen backcourt of Rivera and Darren Govens then scored the next 13 points for the visitors as SJU went into the locker rooms with a 40-33 lead.
St. Joe's frontcourt took over after intermission, with Nivins, Calathes, and Ferguson scoring every point in a 10-0 run after a Tyndale lay-up opened the second stanza. Temple would cut the lead to six on four different occasions but could not get a stop on defense.
The 80 points put up by the Crimson and Gray were the most scored by the Hawks in the series since the 2003-04 season.
Temple (6-8) falls to 0-2 in the Atlantic 10 and 0-2 in the Philadelphia Big 5. The start marks the second straight year the Owls have opened conference play with a 0-2 record.
The Cherry and White wraps up a brutal five-game swing at Massachusetts on Saturday. Tip-off is at noon and the game will be broadcast locally on Comcast SportsNet.
