Spring Break
Drexel can't keep up with Temple
Shawn Gauby
Issue date: 1/11/08 Section: Sports
If the Dragons were going to beat the Temple Owls for the second straight year, Frank Elegar was going to need some help. No Dragon other than Elegar scored after the 11:53 mark of the second half as Drexel fell to Temple 64-51 at the Palestra Dec 15.
The Dragons' senior center led all scorers with 18 points, including the final 12 for Drexel (5-5, 0-1 CAA), but he was only 6-17. He added 12 boards in the losing cause.
"He has got to make some layups. He could've had 40 today," Drexel head coach Bruiser Flint said. "He was two or three feet from the basket. I told him 'You've got to make layups.' I tell my big guys all the time, 'I can't get you any closer unless the other guy falls down.'"
The guy wreaking havoc for Elegar deserved the game ball according to Temple coach Fran Dunphy. Sergio Olmos played arguably his best game of the season. He had 10 points and eight rebounds in a season high 36 minutes. He saved countless points on the defensive end by making Elegar take difficult shots.
"He did a great job defensively," Dunphy said. "He stepped up and made a couple shots on the offensive end. The key for us was Sergio Olmos because he got no help on Elegar."
Coach Flint had a different perspective on the matchup.
"I didn't think Frank was aggressive enough on [Olmos]. I know Frank had 17 shots, but I don't think he was aggressive enough on him on offense. All the kid was going to do was foul you."
Elegar was not the only one to struggle. As a team, the Dragons shot 36% from the field. Drexel's second leading scorer, Gerald Colds, ended up with 11 points, all in the first half. Colds missed all six shots he took in the second half.
"We knew they have a lot of good perimeter jump shooters," Temple guard Ryan Brooks said. "We saw early in the game that Colds was open for a couple threes. Down the stretch, we didn't want that to happen."
Early on, both teams were streaky. The Dragons started the game on an 8-2 run, and Temple (5-5) immediately answered with a 7-0 surge of their own. Later in the half Mark Tyndale and Dionte Christmas scored all of Temple's points in a 15-2 spurt. Drexel answered right back, shutting the Owls out in an eight minute, 14-0 run. Temple's Chris Clark connected on a 3-pointer to end the run at intermission with the Dragons holding a 31-30 lead.
The lead went back-and-forth in the second half before Temple got some separation with Brooks' 10 second half points. He had none in the first half.
"Ryan Brooks is a big-time player," Tyndale said. "Coach called him Kobe by accident in practice."
The Owls had four players in double figures. Along with Olmos and Brooks, Christmas (17) and Tyndale (14) led the way even though they both finished under their season average in points per game.
The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Drexel in the Palestra.
The Dragons' senior center led all scorers with 18 points, including the final 12 for Drexel (5-5, 0-1 CAA), but he was only 6-17. He added 12 boards in the losing cause.
"He has got to make some layups. He could've had 40 today," Drexel head coach Bruiser Flint said. "He was two or three feet from the basket. I told him 'You've got to make layups.' I tell my big guys all the time, 'I can't get you any closer unless the other guy falls down.'"
The guy wreaking havoc for Elegar deserved the game ball according to Temple coach Fran Dunphy. Sergio Olmos played arguably his best game of the season. He had 10 points and eight rebounds in a season high 36 minutes. He saved countless points on the defensive end by making Elegar take difficult shots.
"He did a great job defensively," Dunphy said. "He stepped up and made a couple shots on the offensive end. The key for us was Sergio Olmos because he got no help on Elegar."
Coach Flint had a different perspective on the matchup.
"I didn't think Frank was aggressive enough on [Olmos]. I know Frank had 17 shots, but I don't think he was aggressive enough on him on offense. All the kid was going to do was foul you."
Elegar was not the only one to struggle. As a team, the Dragons shot 36% from the field. Drexel's second leading scorer, Gerald Colds, ended up with 11 points, all in the first half. Colds missed all six shots he took in the second half.
"We knew they have a lot of good perimeter jump shooters," Temple guard Ryan Brooks said. "We saw early in the game that Colds was open for a couple threes. Down the stretch, we didn't want that to happen."
Early on, both teams were streaky. The Dragons started the game on an 8-2 run, and Temple (5-5) immediately answered with a 7-0 surge of their own. Later in the half Mark Tyndale and Dionte Christmas scored all of Temple's points in a 15-2 spurt. Drexel answered right back, shutting the Owls out in an eight minute, 14-0 run. Temple's Chris Clark connected on a 3-pointer to end the run at intermission with the Dragons holding a 31-30 lead.
The lead went back-and-forth in the second half before Temple got some separation with Brooks' 10 second half points. He had none in the first half.
"Ryan Brooks is a big-time player," Tyndale said. "Coach called him Kobe by accident in practice."
The Owls had four players in double figures. Along with Olmos and Brooks, Christmas (17) and Tyndale (14) led the way even though they both finished under their season average in points per game.
The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Drexel in the Palestra.
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