Temple University Athletics
Owls Look to Snap Skid At UMass Saturday
1.12.07 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 12, 2007
Temple (6-8, 0-2) will attempt to snap its four-game skid when it takes the floor Saturday against a tough UMass squad (12-4, 2-0) at the Mullins Center. The game, which tips off at noon, will be televised live in Philadelphia on Comcast SportsNet.
Picked second in the preseason Atlantic 10 poll of league coaches and media, the Minutemen boast a strong front line led by seniors Rashaun Freeman and Stephane Lasme. Freeman, a first team all-conference selection, leads second-year head coach Travis Ford's squad with a 17.1 scoring average (8.1 rpg.). The 2006 A-10 Defensive Player of the Year, Lasme posted his second triple-double of the season in UMass' 91-84 win over George Washington Wednesday. The 6-8 forward leads the A-10 in rebounding (9.8 rpg.) and blocks (5.31 bpg.), ranking third nationally in the latter.
Senior guard James Life is tied with Lasme with a 12.6 scoring average to rank second on the team while junior forward Gary Forbes, a transfer from Virginia, also averages double figures (11.4 ppg.). Freshman guard Tiki Mayben, who leads the A-10 in assists (4.87 apg.), rounds out the starting five.
First-year Temple coach Fran Dunphy's squad has struggled during a rugged five-game stretch that concludes Saturday. The Owls, who are 6-1 when scoring 70 or more points, are averaging just 63.8 points during the current four-game skid with sophomore Dionte Christmas, now the A-10's second-leading scorer (19.0 ppg.), leading the Cherry and White with a 14.8 average. Senior Dustin Salisbery remains second on the team in scoring with a 16.6 average while junior Mark Tyndale, who made his first start of the season Wednesday against Saint Joseph's, is scoring at a 13.9 ppg. clip.
With Tyndale in the starting five, the Owls now employ a four-guard offense with Christmas, Salisbery and sophomore Semaj Inge (4.8 ppg.). Senior Dion Dacons (6.9 ppg./7.5 rpg.), a 6-6 forward, is the team's lone forward among the starters.
Temple owns a 38-18 lead in the series and has won four of the last five meetings.
