Fourth time appears to be the charm for the men’s basketball team.

After losing to three Top 25-ranked teams – Tennessee, Villanova and Duke – earlier in the season, the Owls finally broke through and knocked off No. 20 Xavier, 78-59, Wednesday night in front of more than 4,000 at the Liacouras Center.

With the win, Temple snapped the Muskateers’ six game winning streak and handed Xavier its first Atlantic Ten Conference loss of the season.

The Owls (7-8, 1-1 A-10) were paced by junior guard Dionte Christmas, who scored a team-high 23 points, and senior guard Mark Tyndale, who chipped in with 22 points.

In addition to Christmas and Tyndale, the Muskateers (14-4, 2-1) were also burned by Temple sophomore guard Luis Guzman (13 points on 5-of-7 shooting), sophomore guard Ryan Brooks (10 points and six rebounds off the bench) and junior center Sergio Olmos (team-high 10 rebounds and four blocks), who gained the praise of his teammates with his effort.

It was Temple’s first win over a Top 25-ranked opponent since the Owls defeated No. 6 George Washington in the Atlantic Ten Conference Quarterfinals on March 9, 2006