Liacouras Center to receive HD screen

The Liacouras Center will upgrade its fan experience with a series of high definition video screens for the start of the 2012-13 men’s basketball season.

The upgrade will include four Diamond Vision, HD screens measuring 7 feet high and 10 feet wide that will replace the current center-hanging structure and face each side of the court.

The HD screen will be used to display live-action replays, player introductions and real time game stats. The center-hang structure will be complemented by an LED ribbon system that will spread across the 200 Level façade.

The move, made possible by a multi-year agreement between Temple and ANC Sports Enterprises, was made in preparation for the Owls’ move to the Big East conference at the start of the 2013-14 season.

No. 24 Temple loses to UMass, 77-71

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.–The Owls entered the Atlantic Ten Conference Tournament with the top seed and a No. 24 ranking, but the Massachusetts Minutemen played disruptive basketball as the eight-seeded underdogs.

The Minutemen (22-10, 10-7 A-10) trailed by five points at half, 36-31,  but came out in the second half on a 15-0 run in the first five minutes to take a 46-36 lead. Sophomore guard Jesse Morgan scored seven of those points during that stretch and finished with game-high 21 points.

The Owls’ loss marked just the second time in 20 games this season they lost after holding a lead at halftime.

Temple remained close down the stretch and reclaimed a lead with just under nine minutes remaining after redshirt-freshman forward  Anthony Lee knocked down two free throws to give the Owls a 58-57 advantage. Lee ended up with eight points, four rebounds and three blocks in the game.

Senior guard Juan Fernandez made a three-pointer to extend the Owls lead to four points–their largest lead of the half–after Lee blocked a shot attempt by UMass’ junior forward Terrell Vinson on the other end.

With five minutes remaining, UMass regained the lead at 65-64 and held on to win its first A-10 Tournament quarterfinal game since 2001.

Listen to post-game audio from UMass players, sophomore guard Chaz Williams, Morgan, redshirt-senior Sean Carter and coach Derek Kellogg, and Temple players, redshirt-senior guard Ramone Moore, Fernandez and coach Fran Dunphy.

Williams, Morgan, Carter, Kellogg

Moore, Fernandez, Dunphy

Check back with The Temple News later for a full game recap.

Owls lead by five points at half against UMass in A-10 quarterfinals

TTN ABI REIMOLD

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.–The men’s basketball team is up five points, 36-31, to the eight-seeded Massachusetts Minutemen at halftime of the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Ten Conference Tournament.

Junior guard Khalif Wyatt started the game on the bench for the Owls, as redshirt-junior T.J. DiLeo spelled the Norristown High School product in the lineup.  Wyatt saw action with less than 10 minutes remaining in the first half and scored a game-high eight points off the bench.

No. 24 Temple is also led by multiple starters who have provided at the half, as the team shot 46.4 percent from the floor. Senior guard Juan Fernandez and junior forward Rhalif Hollis-Jefferson each scored six points and redshirt-senior guard Ramone Moore and graduate center Micheal Eric each added five points.

The two teams last met on Feb. 29 at the Liacouras Center, where the No. 23 Owls defeated the Minutemen in overtime, 90-88.

The Minutemen shot 37.5 percent as a team and are led offensively by redshirt-sophomore guard Chaz Williams and bench player redshirt-freshman forward Maxie Esho who each have seven points.  Williams scored a team-high 26 points last time the Minutemen played the Owls.

Check back on www.temple-news.com for post-game coverage.

Owls clinch No. 1 seed in overtime thriller

The men’s basketball team defeated Massachusetts 90-88 in overtime on Wednesday night, clinching the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Ten Conference Tournament and at least a share of the A-10 regular season title.

Temple (23-6, 12-3 A-10) honored graduate center Micheal Eric, redshirt-senior guard Ramone Moore, senior guard Juan Fernandez and senior guard Jake Godino in a ceremony before the game for senior night.

Eric, Moore and Fernandez all scored in double digits, and Godino made his first career start. Eric tied a career high with 19 points and added 15 rebounds for his third straight double-double.

Owls’ junior guard Khalif Wyatt paced Temple with 26 points, including 17 from the free throw line. Wyatt scored Temple’s last seven points to clinch the win in overtime.

Listen to post game audio from Wyatt, Eric and coach Fran Dunphy. Check back with The Temple News for a full game recap.

Fran Dunphy

Khalif Wyatt, Micheal Eric

Owls take care of Fordham, 78-60

The men’s basketball team improved its Atlantic Ten Conference record to 5-2 on Wednesday night with a 78-60 victory against Fordham.

Redshirt-senior guard Ramone Moore and junior guard Khalif Wyatt led the scoring for the Owls, with 25 and 24 points, respectively.

Wyatt led the charge early in the first half, scoring the team’s first 10 points and 16 overall. Moore took over in the second half with 20 points and finished the game with a career-high six three-pointers.

Temple (16-5) has now won four conference games in a row, and the past three by a combined margin of 58.

Check back with The Temple News later for full game coverage.

Basketball plays non-conference on Sat. (MBB: vs. MD) (WBB: vs. Penn)

Temple basketball will battle non-conference opponents on Saturday.

The men’s basketball team will travel to the Palestra to play host to the Maryland Terrapins (12-5) for the final non-conference game of the season at 11 a.m. The game will be televised on ESPNU.

Coach Fran Dunphy holds a 164-53 (.756) career record on the Pennsylvania Quakers’ home floor. The Owls (12-5) will be looking to improve their non-conference record to 10-3 and their current win streak to two games after defeating La Salle on Wednesday.

In the matchup with the Atlantic Coast Conference opponent, the Owls average about five more points per game than the visiting Terrapins (74.4-69.2) and both teams hold their opponents to under 50 percent field goal percentage defensively (TU opponents’ .448, MD opponents’ .430). The Owls have the advantage in the all-time series, 5-4, while taking the last two against the Terrapins (most recently, 12/5/10, 64-61).

The women’s basketball team will host Big 5 rival Penn Quakers (7-7) at McGonigle Hall at 3 p.m.

The Owls (9-8) will be looking for their first Big 5 win of the season as they previously lost to Villanova (4-0 Big 5) on Dec. 22, who have claimed the title this year.

Temple is on a two-game winning streak coming off a win against Duquesne last Wednesday. The Owls hold a 47-15 series advantage against the Quakers, taking the last seven games against the city rival.

Eric reinjures knee in practice-UPDATE

Graduate center Micheal Eric reinjured his right patella and will be out for six weeks.

Eric reinjured his right knee during the men’s basketball team’s practice last Friday. Eric will sit out the Owls’ (3-1) away game today at 2 p.m. against Bowling Green.

It is the same injury that kept Eric from competing in the team’s remaining 10 games last season.

This season Eric ranks fourth on the team in scoring (10.5 ppg.) and leads the Atlantic Ten Conference in rebounding (11.3 per game).

Eric reinjures knee in practice, will miss today’s game

Graduate center Micheal Eric reinjured his right patella during the men’s basketball team’s practice last Friday. Eric will sit out the Owls’ (3-1) away game today at 2 p.m. against Bowling Green.

It is the same injury that kept Eric from competing in the team’s remaining 10 games last season.

This season Eric ranks fourth on the team in scoring (10.5 ppg.) and leads the Atlantic Ten Conference in rebounding (11.3 per game).

Men’s basketball signs three recruits

Coach Fran Dunphy announced today that during the early signing period the men’s basketball team had three high school seniors ink National Letters of Intent.

The future class of 2016 will be 6 foot-6-inch guard/forward Quenton DeCosey (St. Joseph-Metuchen / N.J.), 6 foot-7-inch forward Daniel Dingle (St. Raymond’s / N.Y.), and 6 foot-10-inch center Devontae Watson (Lincoln Park / Pa.)

The recruits each averaged double-double performances in their junior campaigns, as DeCosey recorded 23.4 points and 11.3 rebounds, Dingle posted 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Watson averaged 16 points, 18 rebounds and 12 blocked shots per game.