Temple University Athletics
Owls Topple Saint Joseph's, Advance to A-10 Semifinals
3.12.09 | Men's Basketball
March 12, 2009
Box Score|AP Action Photos
|Photo Gallery
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J - The quest for Temple's second consecutive Atlantic 10 title began the same way last year's run ended - with a victory over city-rival Saint Joseph's.
Junior Ryan Brooks scored 19 points, senior Sergio Olmos added 14 points and nine rebounds, and senior Semaj Inge and sophomore Craig Williams each scored 12 points as the Owls held on for a 79-65 victory over the Hawks in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament from Boardwalk Hall.
With the win, the Owls advance to the A-10 semifinals on Friday, where they will face No. 19 and No. 1 seed Xavier. Play is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m (Comcast Network/1210 AM WPHT).
Temple has now won five consecutive games against Saint Joseph's, its longest winning streak in the series since running off 10 consecutive victories from 1996 through 2000. The win also marks the first time the Owls have defeated the Hawks three times in a season since 1998.
With the Atlantic 10's leading scorer Dionte Christmas limited to just seven points on one field goal, it was the Owls' supporting cast that came up big in the victory.
Seven different players scored for the Owls, with Brooks, Olmos, Inge and Williams combining for 57 of the Owls' 79 points.
"I just wanted to give my team another person on offense," said Brooks, who finished just one point shy of his season high. "I wanted come out and be more aggressive and contribute in more ways to help my team win."
Sophomore Lavoy Allen, who suffered a mild right ankle sprain at Tuesday Night's practice, added 13 rebounds and nine points - five of which came at a critical point in the game when the Hawks had cut the lead down to nine points.
"He's showing a lot of toughness right now because I think some guys might not have played today," said head coach Fran Dunphy.
The Owls took control of the game early with crucial 16-2 run in the middle of the first half.
To start the game, the Hawks looked like a completely different team from the one that couldn't buy a bucket at the Liacouras Center last Thursday. Behind eight points from A-10 Player of the Year Ahmad Nivins, the Hawks hit six of their first seven shots to build an early 12-6 lead.
But just as the Hawks cooled down - missing shot after shot and scoring just two points over the next nine minutes - the Owls finally found their game. Williams' three-pointer with 10:25 remaining gave the Owls their first lead at 17-14, and Olmos' fast-break dunk moments later extended the lead to 19-14. For good measure, it was Williams' wide-open from the top of the key with another three-pointer to cap off the run, giving the Owls a 22-14 lead that they would never relinquish.
The Cherry and White's hot shooting continued throughout the first half, with Williams and Brooks combining for three more three-pointers. Brooks drilled a three-pointer - the Owls' sixth of the first half- with 10 seconds remaining to give the Owls a commanding 43-28 heading into the break.
It looked as if the Owls would cruise to an easy victory in the second half, building the lead to as much as 22 points, but Saint Joseph's would make it interesting down the stretch - just as it did when the teams met up the first time at The Palestra. After forcing four consecutive Owl turnovers with full court pressure, the Hawks cut the lead to nine points with 4:22 remaining in the game.
With the game slipping out of control, Allen stepped up. He scored an easy dunk following an Inge assist to extend the lead back to double-digits. Moments later, his tip-in extended the lead back to 13 points with 3:13 remaining.
The final exclamation point came with Inge's fast break dunk with 1:06 to play brought the lead to 15 points and iced the game for the Cherry and White.
The Owls' defense held the Hawks to just 34 percent shooting from the field while forcing 13 turnovers. The Owls committed 13 of their 15 turnovers in the second half.
The Hawks were led by Tasheed Carr's 23 points. Nivins finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds.
The Owls finished 16-of-24 from the line, including 6-for-8 in the final three minutes.
