Fifth-year senior guard Ramone Moore had 25 points, and junior guard Khalif Wyatt added 22 as Temple earned a 79-72 come-from-behind Atlantic Ten victory over George Washington Wednesday night.
The Owls (18-5, 7-2) have won seven straight thanks to a game-ending 22-5 run that was sparked by Moore and Wyatt.
Wyatt, who was held out of the starting lineup for showing up late for study hall, scored 16 of his points after intermission.
Junior forward Dwayne Smith led the Colonials (8-16, 3-7). But that wasn't enough to end this season's skid. Wednesday marked GW's fifth straight setback of the season and 15th in 19 games.
Early on, Temple looked more like the team that lost to Bowling Green and Richmond than a traditionally A-10 power.
Moore, Wyatt and senior point guard Juan Fernandez combined to shoot just 3 for 12 as the Owls were outplayed in the first half. Taking advantage, the Colonials built a 14-point cushion with 1 minute, 15 seconds before intermission. The Owls battled back, though, and closed the gap to 67-62 on Wyatt's three-point play with 4:25 remaining.
Then Temple took a 71-69 lead on Moore's three-pointer with 2:45 to play. Fernandez (five points) suffered a game-ending hip injury late in the second half.
Temple will host Xavier on Saturday in its "Whiteout" game and will distribute "I BELIEVE" T-shirts and rally towels on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Contact staff writer Keith Pompey at 610-313-7081 or kpompey@phillynews.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/pompeysgridlock and read his blog at www.philly.com/OwlsInq
