Temple University Athletics
Men's Basketball Travels To Dayton For Saturday Game on Comcast SportsNet
2.14.08 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 14, 2008
DAYTON, OHIO - Coming off consecutive overtime wins at the Liacouras Center against two of the Atlantic 10 Conference's elite teams, the Temple Owls (13-10, 6-3)head on the road to one of the league's toughest venues, the University of Dayton Arena to take on the Dayton Flyers (16-7, 4-6) Saturday afternoon. Tip time is 4:00 p.m. in the contest that will be televised in the Philadelphia market by Comcast SportsNet.
Temple coach Fran Dunphy's squad came back from a 17-point first half deficit Wednesday to defeat Rhode Island, 92-89. The Owls' one-two punch of junior Dionte Christmas (27) and senior Mark Tyndale (24) combined for 51 points in the victory. Junior Semaj Inge came off the bench and contributed 17 points while freshman Lavoy Allen, who posted a career-high 20 points in the team's OT win over UMass on Sunday, matched his career-high with four blocked shots.
Christmas continues to pace the Owls, who have won seven of their last nine games to move into third place in the A-10 standings. The 6-5 guard is tied for the conference lead with a 20.3 scoring average while draining a team-high 77 three-pointers. Tyndale tops Temple in rebounding (6.5 rpg.) while placing second on the team and ninth in the league in scoring (16.1 ppg.). Allen leads the Cherry and White in field goal percentage (.559) while ranking third in scoring (8.2 ppg.) and rebounding (5.9 rpg.).
Dayton, under the direction of fifth-year coach Brian Gregory, is led by senior guard Brian Roberts. A Wooden Award finalist, Roberts leads the Flyers in scoring (18.8 ppg.) and assists (85). Ranked among the Top 25 in early January, Dayton has dropped six of is last eight games, including a 63-61 decision to Duquesne Wednesday. Freshman Chris Wright (10.4 ppg., 6,0 rpg.), a key component during the team's early success, has missed the last 10 games due to a fractured right ankle. Sophomore Marcus Johnson (9.1 ppg.) and junior Charles Little (8.7 ppg.) have shared the rebound load in Wright's absence, each pulling down five caroms per game.
The Owls lead the series, 14-9, and have won three of the last four meetings. The Flyers won last year's contest, 73-65, in Philadelphia.
