Temple University Athletics
Owls Turn Game Over To Dukes, 96-92
1.27.07 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 27, 2007
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PITTSBURGH, PA - Dionte Christmas scored a game-high 30 points and Mark Tyndale set a career-high with 27 points, but Temple was unable to overcome a season-high 28 turnovers in falling at Duquesne, 96-92, Saturday night. The Owls fall to 7-12 overall and 1-5 in Atlantic 10 Conference play. Duquesne improves to 7-11 and 3-4 in the conference.
"We are just not playing as good as we can play and that is just what we have to do," said Temple head coach Fran Dunphy. "We have a tough game again when we go on the road to Richmond and we have a tough game against La Salle so it is not going to get any easier."
Duquesne, under the direction of first-year head coach Ron Everhart, installed a full-court pressing attack just three games ago, and the pace worked well for the Dukes. Temple watched film of the new Duquesne style during the Dukes' 93-89 win over Dayton Wednesday and knew what was coming. The Owls were just unable to cope with it at the end.
For the better part of the game, Temple kept pace with the frenetic style Duquesne was playing. The Owls, who had kept the Dukes at arms length, opened up a 12-point midway through the second half, 68-56, courtesy of an 11-2 run spearheaded by seven Christmas points. The Dukes quickly clawed their way back on a 12-3 run to cut the margin to three points, 71-68 at the 9:16 mark, but were not able to tie it until Reggie Jackson drained at three-pointer with 3:57 left, making it 84-84. Jackson then gave the Dukes their first lead at the 1:14 mark, 90-89, on a lay-up.
Senior guard Dustin Salisbery went to the line for the third time in four Temple possessions, and doing exactly the same as the other two trips, making one free throw to tie the score at 90. Junior center Kieron Achara, who scored a team-high 22 points, scored to give the Dukes a 92-90 lead.
Temple then turned the ball over on consecutive possessions, the final one coming on a Tyndale drive to the basket with 9.2 seconds to play. Jackson, who scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half, drained two free throws following that miscue to give the Dukes a four-point lead. Tyndale cut it back to two, 94-92 on a coast-to-coast lay-up, but Jackson iced the win with two more from the charity stripe.
Christmas, who left the game in the final minute with a laceration in the webbing between the third and fourth fingers of his left hand, became the first Owl in 24 years to score 30 points in three straight contests. Terence Stansbury had last accomplished the feat at the end of the 1982-83 campaign.
Christmas, who also matched his career-high with eight rebounds and added five assists and a career-high five steals, was taken to the hospital immediately after the game to have his hand stitched up. His status for the Richmond game is undetermined.
Tyndale's career night was lost in the outcome. The junior guard connected on 10-of-18 from the field (1-1 3PT) and six-of-eight from the line. He also added eight rebounds and three assists.
Salisbery (15 points), who played most of the game at the point, had the most bizarre line
in the game. He had a career high in assists by the half (6) and finished with a game-high nine for the contest. He countered that however with a career-worst 10 turnovers. He also made just eight-of-14 from the line.
"He is a senior. He has played a lot of basketball. You hope that he is going to make a good decision but obviously it did not happen for him tonight and it cost us," said Dunphy on Salisbery.
The Owls shot 53.7 percent from the field, including 61.9 percent from three-point range. They also out-rebounded the Dukes, 34-33, and forced 26 turnovers on 10 steals. In the end it was turnovers, 19 in the second half alone, and free throws (26-41, 63,4%) that did the Cherry and White in.
"We had our moments," said Dunphy. "We had our opportunities tonight we decided we would not take advantage of it. We will have to go back to the drawing board and work hard at it."
Temple has now lost three straight and eight of its last nine. The Owls must regroup and head back on the road to take on Richmond Wednesday (7:30 p.m.).
