Owls' hot shooting overwhelms Bonnies
Feb. 1, 2003
ST. BONAVENTURE - One of the poorest three-point shooting teams in the Atlantic 10, the Temple Owls defied logic on Saturday at the Reilly Center and walked away with a 96-77 over St. Bonaventure, snapping the Bonnies' win streak at four.
The Owls' hot shooting enabled them to build an 28-10 lead 9:10 into the game. Temple made five of its first eight three-point attempts in the game, led by senior Alex Wesby, who connected three times.
The Bonnies countered with a 13-2 run, capped by senior guard Patricio Prato's three-pointer at the 8:59 mark to cut the deficit to 30-23. It was a 38-32 game with 6:34 left. Temple, however, scored the final nine points of the half and led 51-34 at the break.
The Owls, who came into the game shooting just 31 percent from three-point range, made eight of their 17 three-point shots in the opening half.
The Owls put the game out of reach with a 13-0 run over a 2:00 span in the second half, taking a 76-44 lead with 8:52 left. The Bonnies came no closer than 19 points the rest of the way.
The Owls shot 57 percent for the game, including 12-25 shots (48 percent) from three-point range, and set a season high for points in a game. Temple improved to 6-12 overall and evened its Atlantic 10 record at 4-4.
The Bonnies, who slipped to 10-10 overall and 4-3 in the conference, were held to 34 percent shooting, including 12-45 from beyond the arc. The 45 attempts set a school and Atlantic 10 record.
Wesby led five Owls in double figures with 23 points. He finished 6-8 from long distance. Brian Polk and Maurice Robinson each finished with 15 points.
"That was one of our best shooting games," said Temple coach John Chaney. "This team plays as a team. Any team who plays like that is better than a team of individuals."
"Wesby was sensational, making shot after shot," said St. Bonaventure coach Jan van Breda Kolff. "Temple made the extra pass, and when they did miss, they followed up and got the offensive rebound."
Prato led the Bonnies with 25 points and eight rebounds. He was 5-13 from three-point range and also had five assists. Sophomore guard Mike Gansey finished with 13, while junior guard Marques Green had a season-low 10 points and eight assists.
"We didn't make the plays and Temple did. I think we got a little disappointed and hung our heads as Temple continued to make shot after shot," van Breda Kolff said. "There are a lot of disappointed guys in our locker room. I think we were a little caught off guard by how well Temple played. The good news is, it's only one game. We'll watch tape tomorrow, find out what went wrong and make adjustments. You're never as good as your great games and you're never as bad as your bad games."
The Bonnies' next two games are on the road. They will visit Rhode Island on Wednesday, Feb. 5, at 7:30 and then travel to Richmond on Saturday, Feb. 8.
NOTES:
- This was Temple's first win at the Reilly Center since Feb. 19, 1998. The Owls were 0-3 in their last three trips to St. Bonaventure.
- Marques Green's eight assists extended his streak of games with eight assists or more to 12. He now has 164 assists on the year and needs only 16 to break the school record.
- The Bonnies' 45 three-point attempts broke the Atlantic 10 regular season record of 42 set twice before by St. Bonaventure: Feb. 23, 2002 at the Liacouras Center and Jan. 11, 1997 at Temple's McGonigle Hall. It also broke the school record of 44, set in last season's Atlantic 10 Tournament loss to Richmond.
- The game was sold out months in advance, making it the third sellout in seven home games this season. Many students lined up outside the RC early in the morning to get the best general admission seating.
