GAME NOTES: Atlantic 10 Conference play is set to take place at Rose Hill Gym tonight, as the Temple Owls square off against the Fordham Rams. The Owls are coming off a tough defeat, as they dropped a heart-breaker to local rival Saint Joseph's, 68-67, on Saturday. The loss brought Temple's season-high three-game win streak to an end, as it fell to an even 9-9 overall and 2-2 in conference action. The Owls now head back out on the road, where they have gone an even 3-3 thus far. As for Fordham, it is also coming off a loss, falling at Charlotte, 74-60, on Saturday. With the setback, the Rams saw their brief two- game win streak come to a close, as they slipped to 8-9 overall and 2-3 in conference play. On a positive note, Fordham now returns back home, where it has gone a perfect 2-0 against league foes thus far. As for the all-time series, Temple holds a 33-12 lead over Fordham, although the Rams have won the last three meetings.

The Owls possess arguably, the top one-two punch in the A-10, as Dionte Christmas and Mark Tyndale combine for more than half of the team's scoring average of 69.8 ppg. Christmas is an elite scorer, as evident by his healthy 20.8 ppg average, and he is also grabbing a team-best 6.3 rpg and shooting 41.3 percent from long distance. Tyndale ranks second with 15.6 ppg and 5.9 rpg, but he leads the squad with 3.4 apg and 30 steals. In the team's last game, Pat Calathes nailed a three-pointer with 3.9 seconds left, lifting Saint Joseph's to a one-point win over Temple. Tyndale had a chance to win the game for the Owls, but his shot was blocked at the buzzer. Despite the loss, Temple put forth a solid effort, shooting 49.0 percent from the floor, including an 11-of-23 effort from three-point land. Christmas paced the team in defeat with 21 points and seven rebounds, while Tyndale had 18 points and five boards.

The Rams come into the game averaging 66.4 ppg on 43.5 percent shooting from the floor, with three players scoring in double figures. Bryant Dunston is a force in the low post and he nearly averages a double-double with team-highs of 14.9 ppg and 9.4 rpg. Marcus Stout is hot on his trail with 14.8 ppg, while Brenton Butler rounds out the trio with 12.0 ppg. In the squad's prior contest, Fordham turned the ball over 18 times and made just 6-of-27 shots from long distance in a loss at Charlotte. The team also had its share of problems at the foul line, where it went just 12-of-21. Butler tallied 18 points to lead the way for the Rams, while Stout logged 15 points and seven rebounds.

Fordham has the advantage in the low post and that is where it should be able to dominated the game for the victory tonight.