March 14, 2009

By John Lamb | A10CollegeHoops.com

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – Dionte Christmas and the Temple Owls are going to the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row after an exciting 69-64 victory over the Duquesne Dukes at Boardwalk Hall on Saturday night.

There was a lot of speculation before the game as to whether Temple could grab an at-large bid. Now that they won the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament they don’t need to worry if their name gets called on Selection Sunday but when.

Christmas led the way with a game-high 29 points on 10-of-24 shooting including 7-of-16 from beyond the arc. His performances throughout the tournament were good enough to garner a spot on the All-Championship Team as well as the Most Outstanding Performer award.

“The only thing I had on my mind was winning the Championship and playing my butt off today to get this title,” said Christmas, who became just the second player in league history to be named the MOP twice. “I thought every shot I shot today was going in.”

“I didn’t even think about the previous game or how bad I was shooting in the previous game. I just knew how good I was going to play today and how good I can shoot today. That was the only thing on my mind.”

Christmas was joined on the All-Championship Team by Sergio Olmos and Ryan Brooks. Both played an integral part in getting the Owls to the Big Dance for the second straight year.

Olmos clearly presented a match up problem for the Dukes in the paint and the Owls exploited it early as the 7-0 center scored seven of his 14 points in the first seven minutes of the game. He pulled down nine rebounds – six of which were of the offensive variety – and blocked three shots in 35 minutes of play.

He had the unenviable task of defending Duquesne’s Damian Saunders, a speedy 6-7 forward, for most of the game. Although Saunders finished the game with 15 points and a team-high 10 rebounds Olmos was satisfied with the way things turned out when all was said and done.

“I’m kind of slow so it was a tough match up,” said Olmos after the game. “[Saunders] tried to take advantage of his speed and I think I did a good job of taking advantage of my height.”

Brooks proved again that he is the Owls best shooter in clutch situations. The junior guard scored 14 points for the Owls but none were bigger than the three-pointer he hit with 4:12 remaining in the game to extend the Owls lead to eight and put the game out of reach.

Brooks plays hard on both ends of the court and Dunphy pointed out the fact that Duquesne’s Aaron Jackson scored seven straight points in the span of 41 seconds while he was on the bench to reiterate just how important the junior out of Lower Merion, PA is to Temple’s success.

“I would have loved to have the luxury of bringing [Brooks] off the bench for his whole career but we can’t be out on the court too much without him,” said Dunphy of his first official Temple recruit. “I don’t like to be out on the court too much without him, that’s the type of kid he is. He’s just tremendous.”

Temple’s Lavoy Allen was also a big factor for the Owls as he notched his 13th double-double of the season to the tune of 10 points and 11 rebounds. Allen’s ability to play around the perimeter allowed Sergio Olmos to do what he does best – park himself near the basket.

Even though Temple led most of the way, Ron Everhart’s Dukes, a team with two sophomores and eight freshmen on the roster, certainly proved that they will be a formidable opponent for years to come in the Atlantic 10.

“I’m not trying to say that we didn’t want to go to the NCAA tournament because we obviously did,” said Everhart. “However, I feel like the run that we made here and the way that we played, I think it will help our basketball team. It laid a tremendous and solid foundation for years to come.”

Perhaps the most important part of that foundation is Melquan Bolding. While the freshman only scored seven points on 3-of-9 shooting his performances throughout the tournament were good enough to land him a spot on the All-Championship Team.

Bolding averaged 14 points per game in tournament play, almost five points above his season average. His three-point shooting against Dayton was instrumental in getting the Dukes through to the championship round.

For a while in the first half it looked as if the Dukes were a team of destiny. The teams traded baskets for most of the half with Duquesne actually taking the lead with 4:22 remaining thanks to a three-pointer by Saunders.

The Owls regained the lead for good late in the first half thanks to Christmas’ efforts. He scored eight of his team’s last 10 points of the half to allow Temple to take a 42-37 advantage into the break.

“We know what Christmas is capable of doing,” Jackson, who was also named to the All-Championship Team, said. “The way he reads screens and reads the defense was incredible. He was hard to defend.”

Both teams did not do a great job of defending in the first half as each squad shot exceptionally well. The Dukes shot 53.6 percent (15-of-28) while the Owls shot 51.6 percent (16-of-31).

While the Dukes will likely wait and see where they will be seeded in the National Invitational Tournament, Dunphy’s Owls can sit back and enjoy the moment.

“The next 24 hours are fabulous to be honest with you,” said Dunphy. “I’m so happy for the guys, going to the NCAA Tournament, and there’s no feeling quite like this.”

GAME NOTES:
Temple claimed their 8th Atlantic 10 Championship in the 15th appearance which is the most by any member school past or present on both counts…They are now 8-7 in championship games…Temple is the first team to repeat as A-10 champions since the Owls won it in 2000 and 2001…This will be the 27th NCAA tournament appearance in Temple history…The Owls are now 5-0 against Duquesne in the A-10 Championship…Duquesne is now 1-2 in A-10 title games…Duquesne’s 21wins are the most since the 1971 NCAA team and their 38 wins over the past two seasons are the most since 1980-1981.

POST GAME AUDIO:
Dionte Christmas, Ryan Brooks, Sergio Olmos and Fran Dunphy Post Game Comments

John Lamb can be reached at johnlamb@a10collegehoops.com