Jan. 9, 2009
La Salle Explorers vs. Temple Owls
Time: 8:00 PM
Location: Tom Gola Arena
Game: Conference, Big 5
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La Salle Explorers (8-5, 0-0; 0-1 Big 5)
Conference: Atlantic 10
In a series that dates back 110 years, the La Salle Explorers search for their 40th victory in their 104th game against the Temple Owls on Sunday night. The Explorers are riding on a three-game winning streak as they go into the concluding game of a four-game home swing. Now that the non-conference schedule is finished, with the exception of the Penn Quakers on January 21st, the season truly begins for the Explorers as the remaining schedule becomes very competitive. The Explorers will look to ignite the start of the conference schedule with a victory, as they attempt to fend off the Owls from collecting a fourth straight victory against them. After last season’s 8-8 conference record and a postseason run that ended against the Temple Owls in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament, this year’s team is poised to improve on their past. When the Explorers tip-off on Sunday night, they hope to have sophomore Jerrell Williams back in the lineup after sustaining a back strain which kept him out of competition against Manhattan and Howard. While Williams has been out the last two games, twin brother Terrell Williams has gotten the opportunity to pick up playing time and has been a significant contributor in that time span. Terrell put up a career-high 14 points in the first game of his brother’s absence and then followed up with eight points in 14 minutes in a home win against Howard.
Temple Owls (8-6, 0-0; 0-1 Big 5)
Conference: Atlantic 10
When the Temple Owls travel north on Broad Street to face Big 5 rival La Salle, they will be coming off an active week as they begin conference play on Sunday night. The Owls defeated Kent State at home last Monday, 73-58, and then defeated Eastern Michigan on the road Wednesday, 67-45, for their second straight victory. Wednesday’s victory included three Owls reaching double figures, with senior Dionte Christmas leading the way with 17 points, as the team shot 50 percent (9-for-18) from three-point land. In the preseason projections for the conference, the Owls were predicted to finish second, only behind Xavier. Temple’s main highlight of the year came back on December 13th when the Owls defeated then No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers at the Liacouras Center, 88-72. Last season, the Owls defeated the Explorers twice in back-to-back games. The first dual was set at Tom Gola Arena on March 8th, which featured the Explorers falling at home to the Owls, 85-66. In that game, Chris Clark tallied 22 points and hit 6-of-8 shots from beyond the arc. Just five days later, the Owls and Explorers met up again at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ for the Quarterfinal Round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The two teams played the game to its hype, but it was Temple that triumphed with the 84-75 victory to advance in the postseason tournament. The Owls would eventually go on to win the 2008 Atlantic 10 Championship, ultimately giving them a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Temple’s Fran Dunphy will coach against his alma mater where he played from 1967-1970 and was an assistant coach from 1979-1980 and then again from 1985-1988 under Speedy Morris. Freshman T.J. DiLeo will have his first opportunity to play against the school his father, Tony DiLeo (Philadelphia 76ers Head Coach), once played for during the years of 1976-78. Temple has won three straight against the Explorers and they will look to take the first of two meetings this season as they attempt to improve upon their 64-39 record in the 110 year history of the all-time series against the Explorers.
Eye on an Explorer: Ruben Guillandeaux
With sophomore Jerrell Williams sidelined the last two games, junior Ruben Guillandeaux has started in his place. In his previous two games which were both starts, Guillandeaux has put up an average of 17 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game. Before Williams’ injury, Guillandeaux was averaging around 8 points and one rebound. With the significant progress he has made recently, the junior guard should see more action even when Jerrell returns.
Key Matchup: Rodney Green vs. Dionte Christmas
Junior Rodney Green is fresh off a 21-point performance in the winning effort against Howard back on January 3rd. Not only did Green score a game-high, he became La Salle’s 46th player to reach the 1,000-point milestone. Thus far, he leads the Explorers in scoring this season with 15.4 points per game. Senior Dionte Christmas, who has led the Owls in scoring ten times this season, is currently averaging an A-10-best 20.3 points per game. Both players in this matchup have the ability to get the basketball after they shoot, which generates assists and second chance points. This matchup should be very exciting to watch because both players are looked upon as leaders among their teammates and coaches and both have the potential to tremendously impact the tempo of any game.
