Temple University Athletics
Second Half Surge Propels Saint Joseph's Over Temple, 92-76
2.23.07 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 23, 2007
PHILADELPHIA - Saint Joseph's used a blistering second half shooting display to overwhelm Temple Thursday night at The Palestra in a 92-76 win. The Hawks, led by a career-high 27 points from junior forward Pat Calathes, connected on 12 of their first 13 shots after the break in winning their fourth straight game and improving to 17-10 overall and 9-4 in Atlantic 10 Conference play. The Owls lost for the third straight time and dropped to 11-15 overall, 5-8 in the A-10.
The night started out on an odd note for Temple as the A-10's leading scorer, sophomore guard Dionte Christmas, was absent from the starting lineup for the first time all season. First year head coach Fran Dunphy did not go into detail about why junior guard DaShone Kirkendoll replaced Christmas in the starting five. He did state, "he had a hiccup, and I do not have time for hiccupping this late in the season."
By hiccup, Dunphy was referring to a minor mistake that Christmas had made prior to the contest. The star guard was inserted into the contest following the first media timeout, but still continued to struggle with his shooting touch. He connected on just four-of-14 from the field for 10 points.
Despite the lineup juggling, Temple stayed in the contest for the first 18 minutes. Seniors Dustin Salisbery and Dion Dacons led the way for the Cherry and White in the first half. Salisbery, who received five stitches in his shooting hand following the team's loss at George Washington Saturday, scored nine of his team-high 20 points in the stanza while connecting on four-of-six field goals. Dacons scored 10 points over the opening 20 minutes, draining two three-pointers, and matching his career-high with three steals in the frame.
Calathes, who was nearly flawless for the game, led the Hawks with 14 first half points. His jumper with seven seconds to play in the period capped a seven-point run and gave SJU a 38-29 lead at intermission.
"Calathes was unbelievable," Dunphy said. "His line is fantastic. He's getting to be as good a player as there is in the area, let alone the St. Joe's team. He's been great."
On the night, the 6-10 Florida native shot 10-of-15 from the field, four-of-four from behind the arc, three-of-three from the line. He also dished a game and career-high-tying seven assists against just one turnover.
The Hawks opened the second half possessed, hitting eight of their first nine shots over the first five minutes to take a 58-33 advantage. SJU would hit their next four shots, increasing the margin to 30 points, 67-37, with 11:43 to play. Six Hawks would score in the 29-8 run. Meanwhile Temple was ice cold from the field, making just four-of-18 from the field during the Hawk run.
To their credit, the Owls did not stop competing. Led by junior guard Mark Tyndale, who scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half, Temple cut the deficit to 16 points, 80-64, with 4:04 remaining. Calathes then buried a jumper to start a 7-1 run that squashed any miracle comeback hopes for the visitors.
Sophomore forward Ahmas Nivins completed Calathes with 18 points and game-high 10 rebounds while freshman Darrin Govens and Garrett Williamson added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
"Obviously, we need a lot of work," Dunphy said. "But the good part for us, is we get a chance to go right back at it in less than 48 hours against a good Charlotte team."
The Owls host Charlotte on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. The game will be televised live by CSTV Networks and can be seen locally on Comcast SportsNet.
