Temple University Athletics
Men's Basketball Returns Home To Take On Saint Louis Thursday Night
1.19.09 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 19, 2009
PHILADELPHIA - Home Sweet Home! The Temple men's basketball team returns to the friendly confines of the Liacouras Center Thursday night to host Saint Louis (8:00 p.m./CBS College Sports/1210 AM WPHT), the first of a two-game Atlantic 10 Conference homestand. It is just the fourth home game for the Owls (9-7, 1-1), who will be trying to get back on the winning track after a 79-75 setback at UMass Saturday ended a four-game winning streak.
Senior All-America candidate Dionte Christmas continues to lead third-year head coach Fran Dunphy's Temple attack. The 6-5 guard, who is looking to become the first player to lead the A-10 in scoring three straight seasons, tops the league and ranks 16th nationally with a 21.6 average. The reigning A-10 Player of the Week moved into seventh place on the TU all-time scoring list with 1,726 points and second place on the all-time three-pointers made list with 274. He leads the Conference in three-pointers made (3.88 per game).
Temple is 4-1 since the insertion of sophomore forward Craig Williams into the starting lineup. Williams, who had just eight career points prior to his first start against Kent State, has averaged 9.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game over the five games while making 11 of 28 (39.3%) of his three-point attempts.
Junior Ryan Brooks, who scored 17 points at UMass, is second on the team in scoring (11.0 ppg.) while sophomore Lavoy Allen (9.8 ppg.) tops the team in rebounding (7.1 rpg.) and blocked shots (22).
Saint Louis, under the direction of second-year head coach Rick Majerus, is off to an 11-6 start, including a 2-1 mark in A-10 play. The Billikens are led by the back court tandem of senior Kevin Lisch and senior Tommie Liddell III, Lisch tops the team with a 13.8 scoring average with Liddell right behind him at 13.6 ppg. Three freshmen, guard Kwamain Mitchell (8.0 ppg., 67 assists) and forwards Willie Reed (6.8 ppg.) and Brian Conklin (7.5 ppg.), join the senior duo in the starting five.
Temple leads the all-time series, 2-1, and has won the last two meetings.
