University of Richmond
TEMPLE
Men's Basketball Topped By Temple
01/31/2007 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 31, 2007
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| Highlights 
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - Three Spiders scored in double-figures and Richmond trailed by just four with eight minutes to play, but Temple used clutch shooting from the field and a perfect 9-of-9 free throw shooing to pull away down the stretch for an 80-59 victory in the Robins Center.
The Owls shot a season-high 67.4 percent as a team, including a stellar 75 percent (15-for-20) in the second half.
"The score is no indication on the closeness of the game," Temple coach Fran Dunphy said.
The Spiders put together a 52-percent shooting effort in the first half to enter the break tied with Temple at 36. Even though the Owls went on to hit their first eight shots of the second half, Richmond kept its defensive poise to create turnovers and go toe to toe with Temple. Through the entire game, the score was tied five times and the lead changed on eight different occasions.
With 10:12 remaining in the game, Spider junior forward Oumar Sylla drove through the lane for a layup that clipped Temple's lead to two points. The Owls (8-12, 2-5 in A-10) rolled to a 25-6 run in the game's final 10 minutes to put the contest out of reach.
"I think the score got to be lopsided, but it wasn't that kind of game at all," Richmond head coach Chris Mooney said. "Of course it's a challenge and it's difficult because there is so much youth, inexperience and lack of physicality. I do feel we are competing and have a chance."
Freshman guard David Gonzalvez led the Spiders with 12 points, shooting 3-for-8 from beyond the arc in the game. Richmond (5-16, 1-7 in A-10) also saw contributions of 11 points each from freshman center Dan Geriot and red-shirt freshman guard Ryan Butler. Geriot came off the bench to shoot 5-for-8 from the field in 23 minutes played.
Temple junior forward Mark Tyndale collected a double-double, scoring 27 points and grabbing 10 rebounds for the Owls. Tyndale shot a remarkable 11-for-12 from the field and also dished out four assists.
Temple's hot shooting carried over to the free-throw line, where the Owls hit all 13 of their attempts. Temple went 9-for-19 from the beyond the arc, including a 4-for-8 performance from sophomore guard Dionte Christmas.
The Spiders hit the road to challenge Massachusetts at 12 p.m. Saturday. The Minutemen, on a six-day layoff, will enter the game 15-6 overall and 5-2 in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
