Temple University Athletics
DiLeo Steps Up Big For Owls in Opener
11.15.11 | Men's Basketball
Reserve guard has career night to lead Temple to win
The Palestra, Penn's home court, is a historic venue steeped in Big-5 basketball history. Tonight's match-up between the Temple Owls and Penn Quakers was no different.
In a game that saw eight lead changes, an overtime session and plentiful contribution off the bench early on, there was one constant in the backcourt.
When senior guard Juan Fernandez committed two fouls early in the first half, Temple head coach Fran Dunphy called on redshirt-junior T.J. DiLeo to take over Fernandez's duties.
DiLeo gave Temple a solid 38 minutes off the bench -- a career-high for the 6'3” Cinnaminson, N.J. native -- that nearly tripled his average number of minutes from last season.
“I like to play extended minutes,” DiLeo said. “It helps me get into a groove easier.”
Aside from helping him hit a groove, the extra minutes seemed to inject an additional dose of confidence into DiLeo, who prides himself on his defensive contribution first and foremost.
“I gauge most of my games on how well I play defense and help our team win overall,” he said. “This is the game I've had the most confidence.”
As he should. DiLeo also broke his career-high of seven points by netting 10.
“When you get going out on the court a little bit, it really makes it a lot easier.”
DiLeo's defensive efforts certainly made it much easier for the Owls. With the game tied at 57 and 0:43 left to play in regulation, DiLeo came in the clutch for Temple by stone-walling Penn's deadliest guard, Zack Rosen (game-high 27 points), with an incredible block to keep the game tied.
“He got past me initially, but I waited for [Rosen] to pull up. I guess I just got lucky and read it right,” he said.
Lucky, however, was not among the accolades that Dunphy dished out following DiLeo's personal-best performance tonight. Instead, he praised DiLeo's athleticism and ability to quickly adapt in game situations.
“He made a couple shots. He was very good defensively,” Dunphy said. “T.J.'s a good athlete. He knows exactly what his role is. I was very proud of him tonight.”
DiLeo's outstanding performance was particularly important tonight with guards Khalif Wyatt serving a one-game suspension and Scootie Randall still nursing a knee injury.
A veritable chameleon, DiLeo's ability to adopt different styles of play in various game situations makes him an indispensable asset to Temple's depth coming off the bench.
After a nail-biting overtime session, Temple was able to eke out a 73-67 win against the Quakers. It marks the team's first win of the season.
For DiLeo, however, it marks a game for the record books.
by Kami Mattioli, Owlsports.com Columnist
