Temple Beats Falcons On New Year’s Eve - WICU12/WSEE Erie, PA News, Sports, Weather and Events

Temple Beats Falcons On New Year’s Eve

PHILADELPHIA - The Temple University men's basketball program picked up its 1,800^th victory, sixth all-time in NCAA history, by defeating Bowling Green 75-57 Monday night in front of 4,055 fans at The Liacouras Center.

A'uston Calhoun scored a game-high 22 points and added nine rebounds for the Falcons, but Temple, a team ranking just outside the top 25, shot 59 percent in the first half and made 9-of-21 three-pointers to hand Bowling Green its largest defeat of the year. The Falcons trailed by as many as 29 before closing with an 11-0 run and getting a career-best seven points from sophomore walk-on Damarkeo Lyshe in a 30-second span.

Lyshe entered the game with just one career point, a free-throw in a rout of Malone a year ago, but made all three of his field goal attempts, including a three-pointer, and added a steal in the last two minutes. Freshman Spencer Parker also scored his first career points, picking up a pair of free-throws in four minutes.

Calhoun scored four points early as Bowling Green went ahead 6-4 but Temple used an 8-0 spurt to take a lead it would never relinquish. Will Cummings hit a three-pointer midway through the first half to give the Owls a 19-10 lead but the Falcons answered with jumpers from Calhoun and Anthony Henderson to get within five.

 That rally was short-lived though as Temple got a jumper from Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson and a three-pointer from Jake O'Brien to build a 31-17 lead. The Owls later pushed the lead to 16 on another O'Brien three-ball and the Falcons went into the break trailing 39-25.

Bowling Green got no closer in the second half and Temple's lead grew to 20 on a Scootie Randall lay-up with 15:02 to play. Eventually, the Owls led by 29 with 3:03 to go before Lyshe and Parker sparked the final run, capped off by a Richaun Holmes alley-oop dunk on a pass off the backboard from Jehvon Clarke with nine seconds to play.

Temple shot 47 percent for the game and held the Falcons to 38 percent shooting. The Owls also had a 41-31 rebounding edge but Bowling Green committed just 11 turnovers, two fewer than Temple. Bowling Green also picked up 11 steals, getting a game-high three from Holmes. Temple was also effective in transition, scoring 16 fast-break points.

Cam Black ended with six points and six rebounds for the Falcons but Jordon Crawford was held to just four points, snapping a string of 10 consecutive double-digit scoring games for him.

Temple improves to 10-2 with the win and Bowling Green falls to 5-8. The Falcons will have 10 days off before beginning Mid-American Conference play at Central Michigan Jan. 9 at 7 p.m.