Temple University Athletics
Temple University
St. John's
St. John's Muscles Past Temple, 55-48, In Philly Hoop Group Classic Finale
11.28.09 | Men's Basketball
Ramone Moore led the Owls with 10 points
Boxscore
PHILADELPHIA - Two of the winningest programs in NCAA Basketball history battled in the finale of the Philly Hoop Group Classic at The Palestra Saturday night with St. John's proving to be the tougher team in the end, defeating the Temple Owls, 55-48. DJ Kennedy led the Red Storm (5-0) with a game-high 15 points while Ramone Moore led the Cherry and White (4-2) with 10.
Temple, ranked sixth in the nation with 1,715 wins, and St. John's, currently seventh with 1,690 victories, had played every other season at The Palestra from 1956 through 1980, and this clash was a throwback to that era. A tough, low-scoring defensive struggle.
The Owls defense, which has held five of its six opponents to 56 points or less, was up to the challenge. Offensively, however, the Cherry and White was not able to get on track.
"I was not overly impressed with our toughness tonight, and that is what it comes down to sometimes," Temple head coach Fran Dunphy said. " There was one stretch where we had a jump shot at the top of the key, we miss. They come down the other end and the kid (Dwight) Hardy made a jumper from the top of the key. He had eight points in that one stretch where it went from 24 all to (33-24). That was a killer stretch for us."
The stretch Dunphy was referring to was the one that put space between the teams.
Temple led 22-21 following a tightly-contested first half, which featured more combined turnovers (20) than field goals (13). The second half started with the teams trading baskets, before Hardy scored eight points in a 11-0 run, including two wide-open three-pointers from the top of the key, to lift St. John's to a 34-24 lead.
The Owls cut the lead to three, 34-31, on two free throws by freshman Rahlir Jefferson, who set season highs in points (9), rebounds (12) and minutes (29), with just under 12 minutes to play.
"Rahlir did a good job, he was great on the glass." Dunphy said. "And Scootie (Randall) did a good job too."
Randall, who played his first meaningful minutes since early in his freshman year, had two points and two rebounds over nine minutes. His time came due to early foul trouble by both Allen and Craig Williams, who started his second straight game due to an injury to Michael Eric (sprained knee).
Following Jefferson's free throws, the Red Storm ran off five straight points to push the margin back to eight (39-31), but then Juan Fernandez made consecutive steals, the first for a breakaway layup by Ryan Brooks and the second, he fed Moore, who was thrown to the floor by Omari Lawrence on an intentional foul.
The Owls failed to capitalize as Moore missed both attempts, and then Allen missed a jumper. Kennedy came down and scored for what would be a six-point swing, and a 41-33 Red Storm lead.
The lead would extend to 10, 44-34, on three free throws by Hardy, who was fouled by Moore on a trey.
Fernandez hit a trey, and then dished two assists to spearhead 7-1 run that brought the Owls to within four, 45-41, but the offense then stalled. Temple would miss its next seven shots while St. John's built its lead back to double-digits, 51-41, with 1:36 to play.
The Red Storm then held off the owls to take the win, and the unofficial Philly Hoop Group Classic title. The event organizers did not crown a champion.
Temple next plays at Western Michigan on Tuesday, December 1 (7:00 p.m./1210 AM WPHT).
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