Massachusetts Daily Collegian

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A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

Temple, Xavier highlight Atlantic 10

Courtesy Temple Athletics

After leading Temple to two straight conference wins to move them into third place in the conference, junior forward Scottie Randall was named the Atlantic 10’s Men’s Basketball Player of the Week.

Randall earned the accolade by leading the Owls (17-5, 7-2 A-10) to two hard-fought victories last week over the La Salle, 71-67, and Rhode Island, 80-67. He averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in that span.

After adding three rebounds and assists to his 14 points at La Salle on Feb. 2, Randall returned home on Feb. 5 to play the Rams in a performance that truly earned him Player of the Week honors. After accounting for more than half of Temple’s points in the first half with 19 en route to a 36-30 team lead at break, he went 10-13 from the floor and hit a career-high six 3-pointers off nine attempts, finishing with 27 total points, seven rebounds, an assist and a steal in the victory. He ended the week shooting 65.2 percent from the floor and 66.7 percent from behind the arc.

The hometown hero from Philadelphia, Pa. is a big reason why the Owls have won 18 straight at home in the Liacouras Center. The team returns to action on the road on Saturday to take on Dayton at 1:00 p.m.

St. Bonaventure upsets Duquesne

Duquesne (16-6, 8-1 A-10) traveled to the St. Bonaventure (12-10, 4-5 A-10) in A-10 play on Feb. 5 and saw their 11-game winning streak – their longest streak in 40 years – end a heartbreaking 64-62 loss.

The Dukes took a 62-61 lead with 10.9 seconds left in the second half. After a Duquesne attempted steal ended up out of bounds, the Bonnies gained possession with only a few seconds left. On the next play, St. Bonaventure sophomore guard Demitrius Conger drove to the foul line and passed to junior guard Michael Davenport who hit an open 3-pointer from the right of the key. With little time left, the Dukes attempted a failed heave as time expired to seal the victory for the Bonnies.

Junior guard B.J. Monteiro led the Dukes with 17 points, 6 rebounds and an assist. Davenport led the Bonnies with 16 points, 5 rebounds and an assist.

The Bonnies remain at home to play the La Salle at the Reilly Center on Feb. 12 at 4:00 p.m. Duquesne looks to avenge their first loss in 11 games as they take on A-10 leader Xavier at home on Feb. 13 at 2:00 p.m.

Xavier Defeats Georgia

Atlantic-10 leading Xavier (17-6, 8-1 A-10) defeated the Georgia Bulldogs on Feb. 8 (16-7, 5-4 SEC) in their final non-conference matchup of the 2010-2011 season.

In a back-and-forth contest that featured 14 lead changes and two ties, neither team had a clear advantage throughout most of the game. However, the Musketeers went on an 11-2 run midway through the second half to pull ahead. Even after a late push, which saw Georgia cut Xavier’s advantage to four points on three separate occasions, the Musketeers never relinquished their lead. The cushion was solidified for the remainder of the game when junior guard Tu Holloway, the A-10’s leading scorer, sank a pair of free throws with just over four minutes remaining to make it 52-46 Musketeers. They held off the Bulldogs’ late efforts and sealed the victory by a score of 65-57.

Holloway led all scorers with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Musketeers senior forward Jamel McLean contributed his eighth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Xavier will travel to Pittsburgh, Pa. on Feb. 13 to take on Duquesne at 2:00 p.m. in a battle for first place in the A-10 Conference.

Joseph Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].

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