Temple routs Richmond in A-10 showdown

Temple heard the whispers.

Critics acknowledged that the 23d-ranked Owls were good. But how good?

Heading into Thursday, Temple had won its previous six games by an average margin of 11 points, mostly against overmatched opponents.

Thursday night's opponent, Richmond, was expected to provide the first true test of the new year.

The Owls responded by spanking the Spiders, 73-53, in a much-anticipated Atlantic Ten matchup at the Liacouras Center, and they did so without their starting center, Micheal Eric. The 6-foot-11 junior suffered a season-ending fracture of his right kneecap during Tuesday's practice.

"This says a lot," said Temple junior guard Ramone Moore said. "I don't want to brag too much about the things we did on the court. But I think it is expected of us."

The Owls (20-5, 10-2 A-10) used their usual mix of balanced scoring and solid defense to register a victory that enabled them to remain half a game behind 24th-ranked Xavier atop the conference standings. The Owls also recorded their 20th consecutive victory at the Liacouras Center.

But with victories over No. 11 Purdue, Arizona State, Seton Hall, and Wake Forest, Richmond (20-7, 9-3) looked as if it could give the Owls trouble, especially without Eric.

The Spiders came into the contest leading the A-10 in field-goal percentage (47.7 percent) and three-point field-goal percentage (41.1). They were also second in field-goal percentage defense (40.2).

Meanwhile, the Owls had to worry how they would stack up without their center, who watched the game from the baseline.

Temple, as it turned out, didn't need Eric. Sparked by a 16-0 run, the Owls had a commanding, 54-33 cushion with 13 minutes, 52 seconds to play.

Forcing shots, the Spiders didn't resemble the league's best-shooting team while making 22 of 56 shots (39.3 percent). Their 53 points scored were a season low.

Richmond's standout forward, Justin Harper, went into the game as the conference leader in field-goal percentage and three-point field-goal percentage. However, the 6-foot-10 senior's 14 points were a bit misleading. He was held to four points after intermission on 2-of-8 shooting.

Meanwhile, Moore made 10 of 15 shots to pace Temple with a game-high 24 points. Backcourt mate Juan Fernandez added 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting. The junior made his first seven field-goal attempts. Junior swingman Scootie Randall scored 10 points before injuring his foot early in the second half.

Lavoy Allen, a senior power forward, added eight points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three blocks after missing Saturday's game with a sprained left ankle.

"We played about our best basketball game of the year, I think," said Temple coach Fran Dunphy, whose squad shot 55.6 percent against Richmond's matchup zone.