PHILADELPHIA - Temple fans have been pining for the type of performance Lavoy Allen had on Wednesday night against Charlotte for practically the entire season. The senior forward scored 15 points on 7 of 8 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Owls past the visiting 49ers, 76-67.
This game marked the first time Allen has grabbed double-digit rebounds since he snatched 13 against Ohio on Dec. 22. It was also his first double-double since Dec. 5., a 64-61 victory over Maryland.
Overall, this was the third double-double of the season for Allen and the 30th for his career.
With the win the Owls improved to 14-5 and 4-2 in the Atlantic 10.
Temple needed a big game from their senior leader as point guard Juan Fernandez was held out of the game so he could rest his injured knee some more. As per OwlScoop.com's John Di Carlo, Temple's plan is to get him to a point where he can play without a knee brace. That means he could possibly be held out of Saturday morning's game against St. Joseph's at the Palestra.
Sophomore Khalif Wyatt once again started in place of Fernandez and played one of the best all-around games of his young career. He scored a game-high 17 points (despite shooting 3 of 11 from the floor; he did, however, knock down 9 of 12 free throws), dished six assists and secured a career-high six rebounds.
Juniors Ramone Moore and Scootie Randall scored 16 and 14 points respectively to round out the Owls double-digit scorers. The 49ers also had four double-digit scorers, led by Chris Braswell and Derrio Green with 15 apiece.
As has become customary for the Owls, it took Temple a while to separate themselves from Charlotte as both teams traded the lead in the early going. The teams were knotted at 12 and 14 before a Wyatt three-pointer put the Owls ahead for good. Temple led by as many as nine in the first half and took a 30-23 lead into the break.
The Cherry and White came out of halftime and and eventually pushed out to a double-digit lead. They led by as many as 16 points and never saw their lead slip below seven. Wyatt iced the game at the line for the Owls, connecting on his final eight free-throws.
Temple's next game is a big one as they travel to West Philadelphia to take on the Hawks of St. Joseph's University at the Palestra on Saturday morning.