Temple University Athletics
Saturday, December 19
East Rutherford, NJ
7:00 p.m.
Temple University
71
at
65
Seton Hall
Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University
Men's Basketball Downs Seton Hall, 71-65
12.19.09 | Men's Basketball
Brooks, Fernandez and Randall lead the way
NEWARK, NJ - Ryan Brooks scored a career-high 24 points and sophomore Juan Fernandez added 21, but it was deep reserve Scootie Randall who keyed Temple's 71-65 come-from-behind win at Seton Hall Saturday night at the Prudential Center. Randall hit three big three-pointers for a career-high nine points to lift the Owls to their second straight win over an undefeated Big East opponent.
Temple, which has now won five in a row, improves to 9-2 for the first time since the 1993-94 season. Seton Hall falls to 8-1.
In a game that featured the nation's second most potent offense in Seton Hall's (90.8 ppg.) against the Temple's top-ranked defense (54.1 ppg.) tempo would be a key determining factor, and the Cherry and White were able to set it.
"We want to have the tempo be ours," Temple coach Fran Dunphy said. "Seton hall is really good at scoring the ball, so obviously we can't beat them if we get in a scoring contest. They are too deep and too talented so we needed to have the tempo to go our way and we did that for the most part."
The Owls may have had the tempo, but they had to win this battle, which featured five ties and 13 lead changes, with an unusual lineup, due to injury, foul trouble and an off-game by senior co-captain Luis Guzman.
Sophomore Micheal Eric did not dress due to his injured right knee. Junior Lavoy Allen, who had seven of his nine points in the first half, picked up his fourth foul with 12:40 remaining. Guzman, playing near his hometown (Bronx, NY), struggled with six turnovers through 17 minutes.
The Owls, who have not gone more than eight deep in tightly-contested games, had redshirt freshman T.J. DiLeo and Randall playing the majority of the second half. The two deep reserves helped Temple recover from a 13-point second half deficit.
Trailing by 11, 47-36 with Allen on the bench, Fernandez made two quick baskets and then Randall stepped up and drained two threes, his first of the season, and one more than all of his freshman season. Brooks, who had 16 of his points after intermission, capped a 12-0 run to give the Owls a 48-47 lead with 10:53 to play.
The lead changed hands six times over the next four minutes before The Hall scored five straight points, with Eugene Harvey, who led four SHU double-figure scorers with 16 points, escaped for a fastbreak layup, making it 62-57, with 5:37 on the clock.
Freshman Rahlir Jefferson then answered with a power layup in traffic and Allen added a layup off a dish from DiLeo. Following a free throw Jeremy Hazell (11 pts), who was defended to the tune of four-of-17 shooting (1-11 from three), Fernandez tied it with two free throws.
The Owls appeared to take a three-point lead on another Randall three, but Jefferson was called for an illegal screen. It, however, was just a minute delay before Randall drained the trey that gave Temple its largest lead of the game, 66-63, with 2:23 to play.
Brooks then made a layup in traffic to extend the lead. Harvey cut the margin back to three with 1:23 remaining before Fernandez (2-2) and DiLeo (1-2) iced the game at the line.
"This is a really good win for us given some of the circumstances that took place," Dunphy said. "We got ourselves in foul trouble and get down 13 early in second half and found a way to claw back into it. We had some great efforts off the bench."
Defensively, the Owls limited Seton Hall to 25 points under its average and 20 percent (4-20) from three-point range.
"I think our defense was really good down the stretch," Dunphy added.
On Randall, who also had career highs in rebounds (6) and minutes (15), Dunphy said, "I hope this is one of those things that propels him to have a terrific rest of the season. He is a hard worker and a good guy. He just haas not been given his opportunity yet."
Temple is off until December 28 when the Owls host Bowling Green. It is "Turn Back The Clock" Night as it marks the Cherry and White's first regular season game at McGonigle Hall since the Liacouras Center opened in 1997. The team wil wear retro uniforms and their will be promotions geared to an '80s theme.
Temple, which has now won five in a row, improves to 9-2 for the first time since the 1993-94 season. Seton Hall falls to 8-1.
In a game that featured the nation's second most potent offense in Seton Hall's (90.8 ppg.) against the Temple's top-ranked defense (54.1 ppg.) tempo would be a key determining factor, and the Cherry and White were able to set it.
"We want to have the tempo be ours," Temple coach Fran Dunphy said. "Seton hall is really good at scoring the ball, so obviously we can't beat them if we get in a scoring contest. They are too deep and too talented so we needed to have the tempo to go our way and we did that for the most part."
The Owls may have had the tempo, but they had to win this battle, which featured five ties and 13 lead changes, with an unusual lineup, due to injury, foul trouble and an off-game by senior co-captain Luis Guzman.
Sophomore Micheal Eric did not dress due to his injured right knee. Junior Lavoy Allen, who had seven of his nine points in the first half, picked up his fourth foul with 12:40 remaining. Guzman, playing near his hometown (Bronx, NY), struggled with six turnovers through 17 minutes.
The Owls, who have not gone more than eight deep in tightly-contested games, had redshirt freshman T.J. DiLeo and Randall playing the majority of the second half. The two deep reserves helped Temple recover from a 13-point second half deficit.
Trailing by 11, 47-36 with Allen on the bench, Fernandez made two quick baskets and then Randall stepped up and drained two threes, his first of the season, and one more than all of his freshman season. Brooks, who had 16 of his points after intermission, capped a 12-0 run to give the Owls a 48-47 lead with 10:53 to play.
The lead changed hands six times over the next four minutes before The Hall scored five straight points, with Eugene Harvey, who led four SHU double-figure scorers with 16 points, escaped for a fastbreak layup, making it 62-57, with 5:37 on the clock.
Freshman Rahlir Jefferson then answered with a power layup in traffic and Allen added a layup off a dish from DiLeo. Following a free throw Jeremy Hazell (11 pts), who was defended to the tune of four-of-17 shooting (1-11 from three), Fernandez tied it with two free throws.
The Owls appeared to take a three-point lead on another Randall three, but Jefferson was called for an illegal screen. It, however, was just a minute delay before Randall drained the trey that gave Temple its largest lead of the game, 66-63, with 2:23 to play.
Brooks then made a layup in traffic to extend the lead. Harvey cut the margin back to three with 1:23 remaining before Fernandez (2-2) and DiLeo (1-2) iced the game at the line.
"This is a really good win for us given some of the circumstances that took place," Dunphy said. "We got ourselves in foul trouble and get down 13 early in second half and found a way to claw back into it. We had some great efforts off the bench."
Defensively, the Owls limited Seton Hall to 25 points under its average and 20 percent (4-20) from three-point range.
"I think our defense was really good down the stretch," Dunphy added.
On Randall, who also had career highs in rebounds (6) and minutes (15), Dunphy said, "I hope this is one of those things that propels him to have a terrific rest of the season. He is a hard worker and a good guy. He just haas not been given his opportunity yet."
Temple is off until December 28 when the Owls host Bowling Green. It is "Turn Back The Clock" Night as it marks the Cherry and White's first regular season game at McGonigle Hall since the Liacouras Center opened in 1997. The team wil wear retro uniforms and their will be promotions geared to an '80s theme.
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