STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Conventional wisdom, not to mention the stat sheet, says top scorer Dionte Christmas is the most important member of the Temple basketball team.
The numbers in the win-loss column point to someone else.
With sophomore forward Lavoy Allen back in the starting lineup, the Owls dramatically upticked their defense to score a 65-59 victory over Penn State Saturday night at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Allen, who missed one game and most of another – both losses – with a broken thumb, totaled 11 points, 10 rebounds and three assists against what appears to be Penn State’s first relevant squad in nearly a decade.
“He is, I think, without a doubt, our best basketball player,” Coach Fran Dunphy said of Allen. “Just in his understanding the whole concept of the game. He’s a pretty good passer. He can step away and hit a jump shot. He had a great inside move today. And he’s typically in the right spot defensively.”
Defense is how the Owls (4-3) beat the Nittany Lions (7-2). It helped having Allen and 7-footer Sergio Olmos in the starting lineup together for the first time this season.
“I think we do a good job together,” Allen said. “Especially today, they have some big boys down there, and we held our own.”
Penn State scored just 18 points in the paint. Allen, Olmos and backup big man Michael Eric each had three blocked shots.
The Owls struggled on offense, too, nobody more than Christmas, who finished with two points, his lowest output since his freshman year.
Four minutes into the game, Christmas went to the bench with two fouls. Temple was trailing, 10-4. Ninety seconds later, number two scorer Ryan Brooks sat down with his second foul.
Somehow, 10 minutes later, the Owls had a 19-14 lead. They never trailed again.
Besides Allen and Olmos, the key contributor was point guard Semaj Inge, who finished with a career-high 19 points and added six assists and four steals.
Inge made Dunphy look like a genius for keeping him in the starting lineup while fellow guard Luis Guzman went to the bench. Without Christmas on the floor, Inge orchestrated a more fluid offensive attack.
“We caught ourselves watching (Christmas) a little bit in the last game (a 68-52 loss to Miami),” Inge said. “But with him out, we had no choice but to make hard cuts and make good decisions with the basketball.”
The best decision was getting Allen healthy. Meanwhile, Penn State lost double-digit scorer Stanley Pringle to an ankle injury midway through the first half. Talor Battle led the Lions with 19 points.
Dunphy Postgame: Listen to Audio
Inge/Allen Postgame: Listen to Audio
Christmas Postgame: Listen to Audio
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