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Tuesday, Jan. 25 9:30pm ET
Fourth straight loss for Xavier | |||||
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BOX SCORE
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- It's not clear how Xavier managed to score only 28 points in a game against Oklahoma City 18 years ago. It was obvious why they had their lowest-scoring game since then Tuesday night: No. 24 Temple and its matchup zone. Mark Karcher scored 19 points as Temple beat Xavier 59-40 Tuesday night, holding the Musketeers to their fewest points since 1982. "It's hard to be aggressive when you can't make a basket," Xavier coach Skip Prosser said. Xavier (11-7, 2-4 Atlantic 10), coming off an 80-49 home loss to La Salle, has dropped four straight games for the second time in Prosser's seven seasons. The Musketeers, who beat No. 1 Cincinnati last month, shot 24 percent in their lowest scoring game since a 30-28 loss to Oklahoma City on Jan. 23, 1982. "We're on a losing streak, and we know that's not really Xavier basketball at all," said Lloyd Price, who had 14 points. "We've got to do something, stop talking and do something about it." Pepe Sanchez, in his eighth game back from an ankle injury, had nine points, eight assists, eight rebounds and three steals for Temple (13-4, 6-1), which won its 17th straight home game. Darnell Williams scored 15 points for Xavier, which hadn't lost four straight since its first year in the Atlantic 10 in 1995-96. The Musketeers hit only 7-of-27 3-point shots, missed their first nine shots from the field and made only seven baskets in each half. A big reason was Temple's befuddling matchup zone, which can make even the most explosive teams look futile. The Owls, who usually are just getting warmed up this time of year, lead the A-10 in opponents' field goal percentage. Lamont Barnes and Quincy Wadley each scored 11 for the Owls, who only had about seven minutes to warm up for the game because coach John Chaney kept them in the locker room watching film. "We stayed in there a little too long on details," Chaney said. "I was showing them breakdown tapes. It's my fault, really." Sanchez, the Owls' steady point guard, had two assists and four turnovers in the first half but committed no turnovers in the second half. He shot 1-for-7 from the field. Temple, which shot 37 percent, has won three straight and seven of eight. Xavier, which missed the NCAA tournament last year for only the second time in six seasons under Prosser, will try to avoid the longest losing streak of his tenure Sunday at home against Fordham. "What we've got to do is feed off the other losses and bring it to the court with us," Price said. "Nobody wants to feel like this. The whole team is feeling it." The Owls went on a 22-4 run spanning the first and second halves, building the lead to 36-22 on Wadley's 3-pointer with 16:36 left. Lynn Greer's 3-pointer made it 46-30 with 9:11 left, but Xavier scored the next eight points. Maurice McAfee hit a 3-pointer, Price a driving layup and Kevin Frey a 3-pointer to cut it to 46-38 with 4:27 left. Temple sealed it with a 9-0 run, getting a basket and 3-pointer from Wadley, a driving jumper from Karcher and two free throws from Sanchez to make it 55-38 with 1:36 to play. Some 3,500 fans braved a snowstorm that battered the East Coast. Not counted among them were Temple athletic department officials Scott Cathcart and Bob Lange, who were pressed into duty at the scorer's table because only a skeleton staff made it to the game. Temple led 23-19 at halftime amid atrocious shooting by both teams. Xavier was 7-for-33, and Temple 7-for-25. Only six players scored in the first half -- three for each team. It was so bad that Xavier was 2-for-15 with nine turnovers in the first 8½ minutes and yet only trailed 6-4. It appeared for a while that the teams might challenge the A-10's record for fewest points in a game, 29 by Rutgers against St. Bonaventure in 1982. | ALSO SEE Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
AUDIO/VIDEO   Lamont Barnes makes the layup and draws the foul.avi: 762 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Mark Karcher slams one home with emphasis.avi: 682 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 | |||||