Temple University Athletics
Temple Goes Cold In 62-45 Loss At #15/13 Villanova
12.29.08 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 29, 2008
VILLANOVA, PA - Some nights, shooters just can't seem to miss, regardless of where they shoot or how open they are. Other nights, no matter how much room they have, their shots won't fall. Both scenes were on display on Monday night at The Pavilion, as Villanova's Corey Fisher connected on all six of his second half field goals to score a career-high 23 points and lead the #15/13 Wildcats to a 62-45 victory over Temple. The Owls could not find their rhythm in the second stanza, going 11:21 without a field goal and dropped their third straight.
Sophomore Lavoy Allen's lay-up with 14:34 to play gave Temple (5-6, 0-1 Big 5) its largest lead at 32-24 but from that point on, it was all Villanova. The Wildcats (12-1, 4-0), who clinched the Big 5 Championship with the win, went on a 23-2 run over the next 9:01 to turn a close game into a blowout.
Fisher played a big role during the run, scoring 13 points, including a trio of backbreaking threes. The sophomore came into the game averaging 8.9 points per game but had not reached double-digits since scoring 12 points on Dec. 4 vs. Houston Baptist.
"Corey was terrific in that second half," head coach Fran Dunphy said. "Every time he got an open look, he buried it."
As torrid as Villanova was, Temple was just as cold. The Owls missed nine straight field goal attempts before junior Luis Guzman broke the spell with a lay-up at the 3:15 mark. The jump-shooting continued to miss the mark until senior Dionte Christmas connected on a three-pointer with 1:33 to play. It was one of just two outside shots made by TU during the second half.
"We had some decent looks," Dunphy said. "We just did not make shots tonight and a lot of that is due to Villanova's defense."
The 45 points were the lowest during Dunphy's tenure at Temple and the lowest since losing 60-34 on Jan. 21, 2006 at Massachusetts.
Christmas led Temple with 13 points, but shot 4-for-19 overall and 3-for-10 from long range. He managed to get off to a better start, scoring eight points in the early going, but was 1-for-12 in the second half.
One bright spot for the Cherry and White was the play of Michael Eric. The freshman scored a career-high nine points and shot 4-for-6 from the floor. Junior Ryan Brooks added nine points for the Owls.
The most anticipated mid-year debut in recent Temple memory will have to wait at least another week as freshman Juan Fernandez, a highly-touted recruit from Argentina, was dressed but did not play. He arrived from his native country on Dec. 26 and has already impressed his coach.
"His ability to understand the game is very good," Dunphy said. "He's going to be a good player and I think he's going to help us be a better basketball team."
With the win, Villanova continued its dominance in the Big 5. The Wildcats have won 18 of their last 19 games in city play and complete a perfect 4-0 record for the third time in the last four seasons.
Dante Cunningham scored 12 points for Villanova.
After defeating #8 Tennessee on Dec. 13, TU has dropped three straight games. The Cherry and White look to get back on track on Jan. 5 against Kent State at the Liacouras Center. Tip-off is set for 7:00 PM.
