Temple Hangs on to Beat Bonnies

February 16, 2012 ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. - Andrew Nicholson scored 19 points and Eric Mosley a career-high 18 for St. Bonaventure (13-10, 6-5 Atlantic 10), but rv/rv Temple (20-5, 9-2) saw a 14-point lead slip away in a 76-70 win over the Bonnies at the Reilly Center on Wednesday. After trailing by as many as 14 twice in the second half, SBU pulled to within three, 72-69, with 22 seconds to play after a put back layup from Demitrius Conger. On the ensuing inbounds, Charlon Kloof was called for a blocking foul that sent Temple's Ramone Moore to the free throw line. Moore scored all of his 19 in the final 20 minutes, including both from the stripe with 20 ticks left, to help Temple keep in front and earn its 20th win of the season and 15th straight over SBU. Mosley raised his career-high to 18, knocking down 4-of-7 from beyond the arc to give the Bonnies a spark off the bench. In a back-and-forth first half that saw each team build a two-possession lead, the Bonnies held Temple without a field goal for the final 7:01 and ran off 11 unanswered to claim a 31-30 lead at the break. Atlantic 10-leader Temple netted ten of the second half's first 15 points to reclaim the lead for good. The Bonnies rallied for a 40-40 tie at the 13:12 mark, before Moore and the Owls stretched a 45-43 margin into a 14-point lead, 61-47, with 5:33 left. Nicholson scored nine points in a 13-4 surge over 3:31 down the stretch – including an and-1 and a 3-pointer – to cut the Owls' lead to just 68-63 with 1:19 left. A pair of Kloof free throws with 37 ticks left brought SBU to within four, with Temple making just one of its attempts from the stripe the next time down to set the stage for the decisive possession. The Bonnies conclude a three-game homestand Saturday with a 4:30 p.m. tip versus Rhode Island, the back end of a doubleheader with the no. 22/25 women's team against Xavier. The men's squad will honor seniors Andrew Nicholson and Da'Quan Cook prior to the contest. NOTES: SBU hosted a White Out game versus the Owls ... Moore and Nicholson are the reigning A-10 Co-Players of the Week, and leading candidtates for Conference Player of the Year … the Bonnies last defeated Temple Jan. 16, 2002 … representatives from the NBA's Hawks, Thunder, Bobcats and Grizzlies were at the game, as was former men's player and SBU Hall of Famer David Vanterpool … SBU falls to 6-3 in televised games this season …Nicholson blocked four shots, making 220 for his career.