Senior Steven Smith scored 21 points on his way to his first-ever Big 5 victory.

Senior Jermaine Thomas netted nine points.

Lewis Fadipe slams home two of his six points.

Darnell Harris sank five three-pointers, finishing with 19 points.

Smith blocks Wayne Marshall's shot.

PHILADELPHIA, PA - The La Salle men's basketball team snapped a 15-game Big 5 losing streak, handing Temple a 62-56 defeat before a sell-out crowd at Tom Gola Arena. The win was the first in Big 5 play for the Explorers' senior class. Senior Steven Smith (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast) led all scorers with 21 points, including a career-high five three pointers.

Temple opened up an early five-point lead, but La Salle fought right back and took the lead for good on Smith's first bucket of the game, a three-pointer with just under 14 minutes to play. The Explorers exploited Temple's matchup zone, making multiple passes to find an open man, most often for a trey. La Salle shot 14-for-28 from beyond the arc for the game.

Sophomore Darnell Harris (Baltimore, MD/St. Francis), who scored 17 points in a Jan. 14 loss at Temple, netted 19 today, tying a career-high by hitting five trifectas. Senior Jermaine Thomas (Frederick, MD/Thomas Johnson) added nine points on three huge treys.

After the La Salle lead grew to as many as nine points late in the second half, Temple attempted a comeback, slicing the deficit to two with under two minutes to play on a Mardy Collins put-back. Smith collected a Harris miss and was fouled going to the hoop. The All-America candidate then hit a pair of free throws to extend the lead to four points.

On the Owls' next possession, Collins was whistled for traveling, handing the ball back to the Explorers. Thomas was fouled and missed the front-end of a one-and-one and Smith's tip-in didn't fall. Temple's Wayne Marshall grabbed the board and the Owls set up their offense. Smith, playing tight defense on Antwayne Robinson, was run into Marshall, who was attempting to set a pick, but knocked Smith to the floor and drew an offensive foul. Harris sank a pair of free throws on the Explorers' next possession, sealing La Salle's first Big 5 win since Feb. 13, 2002.

La Salle shot 47 percent from the floor, compared to Temple's 37 percent. The Owls won the battle on the boards, 34-28.

The Explorers improved to 13-7 (5-4 Atlantic 10, 1-3 Big 5), while Temple dropped to 12-8 (5-4, 1-3). La Salle will travel to Amherst, MA, on Feb. 8 to take on Massachusetts.