Instant Replay: Temple 78, St. Joe's 72

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BOX SCORE

While the Sixers were postponed because of a wet court, there was no dampening the Big 5 rivalry taking over Hagan Arena on Wednesday night.

Temple extended its win streak to four games in its first contest after its NIT Season Tip-Off championship, defeating city rival Saint Joseph’s, 78-72. The loss was the Hawks’ third straight defeat and broke a two-game winning streak in the annual matchup.

Temple junior forward Obi Enechionyia led all scorers with 26 points. The junior came up clutch to seal the victory (see below) after scoring 16 points in the first half. 

However, the bigger story for the Owls may have been the return of senior guard Josh Brown, who missed Temple’s first six games with an Achilles injury. 

The Hawks’ starting backcourt kept the Hawks in the game. Shavar Newkirk led St. Joe’s with 22 points while Lamarr Kimble had 12 points. The duo combined for 14 assists and 13 rebounds, helping St. Joe’s come back to take the lead in the second half before ultimately falling by six.

With the win, Temple moved to 5-2 (2-0 Big 5), while St. Joe’s fell to 3-3 (0-1 Big 5).

Turning point
With Temple up, 73-72, in the final two minutes, Enechionyia went up for a wide-open three-point jumper. The ball rimmed out, but senior Daniel Dingle came up with a big put-back to extend the Owls’ lead to three. 

Enechionyia followed it up on the other end with a block and drained a three the next time down, giving the Owls an insurmountable lead. 

Block party
The early moments of the game were defined by the Hawks' defensive intensity. St. Joe's had four blocks in the first 2½ minutes, including two by Markell Lodge. The Hawks’ stingy defense contributed to an 11-2 lead four minutes into the contest.

Brown returns
Brown entered with 6:29 left in the first half for his first minutes of the year. Brown played in all 33 games for the Owls last season and he immediately made his presence known in his 2016-17 debut, deflecting a ball on defense and making a long jumper with his foot on the three-point line soon after checking in.

The senior had spent most of the first half sitting on the ground next to Temple's bench, stretching out his left Achilles, which he injured during the offseason. 

Brown finished with four points, two rebounds and an assist in 14 minutes.

Inside the box score
• Enechionyia carried Temple from beyond the arc in the first half. The junior forward was 6 for 10 from the field, including 4 for 4 from three, while the rest of his team was a paltry 1 for 11 from long range in the half. 

• While Temple struggled from three in the first half, the Owls were efficient in other ways. They turned the ball over just once on 34 possessions.

• St. Joe's stayed in the game with its long-range shooting. The Hawks were 7 for 14 from three in the first half with starting guards Kimble and Newkirk combining to go 5 for 5 from deep. The team finished 12 of 23 on threes. 

• After scoring 26 points in Temple's upset of then-No. 25 Florida State last week, freshman Quinton Rose was strong yet again, putting up 14 points, six rebounds and three assists of the bench vs. the Hawks. 

Sophomore guard Shizz Alston Jr., another key underclassmen, had 11 points and five assists. Seven of those points came in the second half.

All-time series
This was the 159th meeting between the two programs. Temple leads the all-time series, 90-69, after picking up its first win in the rivalry since 2013.

Up next
Temple returns home to face Penn in its second straight Big 5 battle, while Saint Joseph’s goes to the Pavilion and takes on the No. 2 Villanova Wildcats, who have won 15 straight Big 5 games.

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