Temple University Athletics
Men's Basketball Travels To Richmond For Wednesday Game
2.4.08 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 4, 2008
RICHMOND, VA - Two of the surprise teams in the tough Atlantic 10 Conference face off Wednesday night when the Temple Owls (11-9, 4-2 A-10) take the Robins Center floor against the Richmond Spiders (11-9, 4-3). The Owls, picked ninth in the conference preseason poll, have won five of their last six games and currently are tied for fourth in the league standings. The Spiders, just one-half game behind Temple in sixth place, were picked to finish 12th in the preseason poll.
The Owls, under the direction of second-year head coach Fran Dunphy, have been led all season by the one-two punch of junior Dionte Christmas and senior Mark Tyndale. Christmas tops the league in scoring (20.5 ppg.) and the Owls in rebounding (6.4 rpg.) while Tyndale (15.8 ppg., 6.4 rpg.) leads the squad in assists (71) and steals (33). Senior guard Chris Clark, the reigning Big 5 Player of the Week, has been on fire of late, setting new career highs in scoring in each of the last two games. Freshman forward Lavoy Allen had his best game of the season Sunday, tallying a career-high 19 points in the win over George Washington. Junior center Sergio Olmos tops the Owls in blocks with 31 while sophomore Ryan Brooks (8.4 ppg.) adds an offensive spark off the bench.
The Spiders, under the direction of third-year coach Chris Mooney, have won seven of their last 10 games, including an 80-63 win over Dayton. Sophomore center Dan Geriot (14.0 ppg.) and sophomore guard David Gonzalvez (11.0 ppg.) lead a balanced UR scoring attack.
Temple leads the all-time series, 7-5, and has won the last three encounters, including an 80-59 decision at the Robins Center last season.
