Chronicowls '11, Post 6 (Temple-St. Bonaventure)

Lots of positives. First half may have been the finest Temple has played this season. Made better than 60% of shots from the field. Made 7 three-pointers, out of 12 attempted. And made every foul shot. Twice as many assists (18) as turnovers (9). Ramone Moore scored 13 points in the closing five minutes of the first half. -----------------------
St. Bonaventure never had the lead. At one point around the middle of the first half, Temple's lead had been cut to one, 20-19. Temple's defense limited the Bonnies to one basket over the next six minutes, the Bonnies, The Owls then went one of their characteristic runs, outscoring the Bonnies 29-9 to take a 21-point lead at intermission.Khalif Wyatt had an outstanding game. 15 points, six assists, and but one turnover. We've become familiar with his love for shooting, last night he showed the small gathering at the Liacouras Center that he has playmaking skills as well. Five players scored in double figures. Balanced scoring once again. It's a team strength.
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When the Owls score 72 points, every ticket-holder wins a taco from Qdoba. This game was the fourth this season that the fans had earned a taco. The milestone was reached earliest in last night's game, as with 12 minutes remaining, the Owls scored their 72nd point of the evening. Those who left early because the outcome had been determined didn't miss much.The reserves had playing time, and made much of it (at least on defense). St. Bonaventure did not record a basket over the final 7 minutes of the game. Not that the Owls were doing much better, registering just one field goal in that span.
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3213 fans in attendance last night. Is there another top 25 team that draws as poorly? I just don't understand the apathy. Philadelphia, after all, is supposed to be a college basketball town. Last night was a busy night for the Big Five schools. All were in action, with St. Joe's the only school playing out of town. The Penn-LaSalle matchup at Gola Arena attracted fewer than 2000 fans. Villanova drew more than 13,000 to its game at the Wells Fargo Center.
The small crowd meant short or no lines. At the concession stands, rest rooms, and exiting the parking garage.Some consolation.
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Halfway through the season. 12-3 mark. Losses to a #9 ranked team (at Villanova) , to Texas A&M (that loss doesn't look so bad now, as Texas A&M has won 12 in a row and is ranked in the top 20) and California (that remains a bad loss). One game remaining against a ranked team (Duke). And wins against two currently ranked teams - Georgetown and Georgia. Defense has been key to Temple's success. Opponents have averaged fewer than 60 points per game, ranking Temple among the top 25 among the nation's 300 plus Division 1 schools in that category. After averaging a double-double last year (first Temple player in 40 years to do so), Lavoy Allen has had but two games thus far in which he has recorded a double-double. Fans expected more. And the Owls three-point shooting has been erratic. Last night's nine three-pointers was their second highest of the season, and it was only the fourth game they made more than five. But to keep proper perspective, 12 wins out of 15, against a difficult schedule, is more than respectable. It's impressive.
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The Comcast network will be televising next Temple game, noon on Saturday, from Pittsburgh, where the Owls will be headed for a game against Duquesne. Temple has a single game scheduled at the Palestra this season. It's January 29, against St. Joe's. The Hawks are the home team. What's unusual is morning tip-off (11am). Don't recall one of those before. Temple did have a midnight game several years back, against Villanova, at the Liacouras Center.
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The A-10 is weak this year. In the RPI rankings, Xavier is the only school besides Temple in the top 50. Temple sits today at number 20. In fact, Temple has but 6 games left against schools that are presently in the top 100 of the RPI rankings.