Greetings from a sold-out Tom Gola arena, where we're actually a bit into the second half but I couldn't post until now because my laptop battery was dead. But having found a power outlet, here are the first-half stats after Temple took a commanding 50-26 lead over La Salle into intermission.
The Owls' offense was going full throttle. Temple shot 18-for-31 from the field (58.1%), including 5-for-8 from three-point range (62.5%) and 13-for-23 from two-point range (56.5%), and 9-for-13 from the free throw line. Seven offensive rebounds, 12 defensive rebounds, nine assists, three turnovers five blocks, three steals and nine fouls committed.
That adds up to 33 possessions and 1.507 points per possession.
Chris Clark has the hot hand, leading all scorers with 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting -- including 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. He's still making big shots as I type, and more on that to come after the game.
La Salle kept things close for a while, but a 12-1 Temple run midway through the half broke things open.
For the half, the Explorers shot 11-for-32 from the field (34.4%), including 3-for-12 from three-point range (25.0%) and 8-for-20 from two-point range (40.0%), and 1-for-3 from the free throw line (33.3%), Ten offensive rebounds, nine defensive rebounds, eight assists, nine turnovers, two blocks, no steals and 10 fouls committed.
That adds up to 32 possessions and 0.802 points per possession.
Darnell Harris is only 2-for-6 from beyond the arc and 3-for-9 overall; his eight total points led La Salle at halftime.
The pregame ceremony included a nice touch for the Explorers' other senior, Sherman Diaz: a playing of the Trinidad and Tobago national anthem for the Diego Martin native.
Come back later for press conference audio and full game stats.
