Slow Start Proves Costly In Temple's Loss To Duquesne

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Bill Clark had 22 points and Duquesne limited No. 19 Temple to 31 percent shooting in winning its sixth consecutive game, 78-66 on Saturday.

Duquesne (11-5, 3-0 Atlantic 10) scored the game's first 10 points and held leads of 19-1 and 22-2 after making their first five shots -- four from 3-point range. The Owls missed their first 14 shots and didn't make their first field goal until the 8:18 mark of the first half.

Duquesne held an opponent without a field goal for a stretch of more than 11 minutes for the second consecutive game. Saint Louis went 14:01 without a basket in a 67-45 Dukes' win on Wednesday.

Ramone Moore had 18 points to lead the Owls (12-4, 3-1), who had won nine of their previous 10.

After the slow start, the closest the Owls would get was 28-18 -- but the Dukes responded with an 11-1 run. Temple was 4-for-24 shooting (17 percent) in the first half, while Duquesne shot 67 percent (12-for-18). The Dukes shot 48 percent for the game.

After Temple scored the first six points of the second half, Duquesne went on an 8-2 run to essentially put the game away. The Owls scored 14 points in the final 2:20.

Eric Evans added 13 points for Duquesne, which had lost four straight to three-time defending Atlantic 10 champion Temple and had lost 27 of its previous 28 against ranked opponents.

Standout Duquesne freshman T.J. McConnell -- the reigning Atlantic 10 rookie of the week who led the Dukes in scoring in a 67-45 win over St. Louis Wednesday -- sat out the first 10 minutes of the first half for disciplinary reasons. McConnell was late for the team's morning shootaround Saturday.

Temple had point guard Juan Fernandez available for the first time in three games after a knee injury. But Duquesne improved to 7-1 on its home court, winning by double digits in each of its 11 victories.

The Owls entered the game leading the conference and ranked 15th nationally in scoring defense (58.4 ppg) but allowed a season-high 40 first-half points.

Temple had won 15 of 17 against Duquesne and had been 13-1 against the Dukes when ranked, last losing to Duquesne as a ranked team in 1956.

Duquesne's winning streak has coincided with the return of Evans, a junior guard who missed the first 10 games with a foot injury.

The Dukes are 2-1 under coach Ron Everhart against ranked teams at the Palumbo Center.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

(Photo provided by owlsports.com.)