Chronicowls '12 Temple-St. Joe's

Near flawless.  That would describe the Owls’ first and second  halves of yesterday’s game against St. Joe’s.  SIXTY percent shooting from the field, a season high.  Two-thirds of the three- point shots that Temple took in the first half went in.  Combine this with a five-minute St. Joe’s scoring drought beginning at the twelve-minute mark of the first half, and it’s easy to understand how the Cherry and White led by sixteen  (28-12) with just over six minutes remaining in the first half.  The Hawks didn’t get closer than nine points the rest of the game, and trailed by as many as 28 several times in the second half.

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Temple is 31^st in the nation (among more than 300 schools) in assist-turnover ratio.  They take care of the ball, and move it around nicely. Yesterday’s game was yet another example. 18 assists, and 11 turnovers.  One of the assists came from Michael Eric, who made a pass from underneath the basket that looked to be headed out-of-bounds, when T.J. Di Leo showed up to earn an easy  lay-up.
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Ramone Moore now has 13 straight double-digit point games. Khalif Wyatt has 8 straight such games. Yesterday’s was unlikely for Wyatt, as he finished the first half scoreless. Wyatt did have 8assists, as well. Four Owls in double figures, including Juan Fernandez, who scored 17 points in 23 minutes of playing action.

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A sellout, and then some.  Second largest crowd in the history of the Liacouras Center.  Peculiar, then, to see as many empty seats as I did.  Good to see a lively crowd of Owl supporters throughout the building. And the student section, the Cherry Crusade, were out in full throat and force.

Rollouts aplenty.  “Only Tebow Can Save the Hawk”  read one, and “LaSalle is more relevant than you” read another. And the now customary “I Believe That We Have Won” chant, which was preceded by a “I Believe the Hawk is Dead” chant.  See the final rollout below.

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Our street parking spot yesterday took us through the heart of the Temple campus, where we came upon, on Liacouras Walk, a fine spot for pre or post game adult beverages. Look for Maxi’s, next to a connected pizzeria  and Conwell Inn, a bed-and-breakfast which also serves as the official hotel of Temple University.

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Most of the sponsored contests that pass for “entertainment”  during time-outs are inane. Why does the PA announcer insist on providing fans with a running commentary on what is plainly visible to all watching. And if he’s going to do so, can’t he at least make the effort to learn the names of the contestants so that we don’t have to hear “she shoots”, “she dribbles”, “he misses”, etc.  
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Ten more games remain in the regular season, half at home. Considering that the Owls have been without two starters for most of the season thus far, a 15-5 record is most impressive.  Temple entered the game at #15 in the RPI rankings, and may rise higher after the win.  Credit Coach Dunphy.  Next home game is Wednesday evening, 7pm, against Fordham. This squad is entertaining to watch, and deserves your support.