Temple University Athletics
Temple University
Villanova
#8/8 Villanova Holds off #25/rv Temple, 78-74
12.30.10 | Men's Basketball
Lavoy Allen and Juan Fernandez led the Owls
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VILLANOVA, PA - Lavoy Allen and Juan Fernandez each reached season scoring highs, combining for 42 points, but it was not enough as #8/8 Villanova held off #25/rv Temple, 78-74, in a hard-fought Big 5 game at The Pavilion Thursday night. Corey Stokes (24) and Maalik Wayns (21) combined for 45 points for the Wildcats who extended their win streak on their home court to 43 games.
The game, the first with both teams ranked since a 1988 battle between the #1 Owls and the #10 Wildcats at McGonigle Hall, lived up to it hype. There were nine ties and seven lead changes in the contest with each team building solid leads only to have the other recover.
Temple (9-3, 0-1 in Big 5), which led by as many as eight (32-24) in the first half, took a slim 40-39 advantage into the locker room. Ramone Moore scored 13 of his 16 points in the opening 20 minutes while Fernandez, who had a career-high 33 points in last year's win over VU, looked set to continue his role as the Wildcat tamer with 12 points and four assists in the period.
Villanova (11-1, 4-0) quickly took control in the second half courtesy of a 10-0 run to take a 55-45 lead with just under 14 to play.
Just when it looked liked the Wildcats were ready to put the Owls away, Temple ran off 13 unanswered points with a Scootie Randall three capping the stretch to give TU a 60-57 lead with 9:16 to play. That, unfortunately, would be the last Temple basket until a Moore lay-up with 1:10 on the clock.
"For the most part their defense was very very good at the end of the game," Temple coach Fran Dunphy said. "They pressured us. We did not handle it as well as we needed to but I think that is a really good basketball team...if we all make one better play toward the end of the game maybe we are on the different side of the ledger."
Stokes, who was red hot all night, drained one of his five three-pointers on the ensuing possession to tie the game. Following two Allen free throws, 'Nova ran off seven straight points. Mouphtaou Yarou, who was a presence inside with 13 points, started the run with a layp-up. Stokes then connected on a trey with Wayns weaving his way in for two, making it 67-62.
"(Stokes) is a really good player and we talked all week about not leaving him open and we did a couple of times," Dunphy said. "He made a couple of huge three for them."
Both teams struggled to score the next five minutes, but Villanova's edge at the foul line proved deadly as Wayns and Corey Fisher combined to make four straight over a 30 second stretch to push the margin to seven, 73-66, with 1:20 remaining.
Wayns, who made all nine of his attempts from the charity stripe, gave the Wildcats an eight-point edge, 76-68, with 18 seconds on the clock.
Moore then found Allen for a lay-up and Antonio Pena fouled him with the Owl forward converting on the three-point play.
Moore then stole the ball from Stokes and Allen connected on his first trey of the season, making it a two-point game, 76-74, with 2.3 seconds to play. Wayns then made both free throws to put the game out of reach.
Temple next travels to the Meadowlands to take on Fordham at the Izod Center in its Atlantic 10 Conference opener on January 5. The game will be televised live on The Comcast Network (7:00 p.m. tip-off) and broadcast on 1210 AM WPHT.
