OLEAN, N.Y. - Ramone Moore emerged from halftime determined. Temple followed his lead.
The senior guard scored all 19 of his points in the second half as the Owls pulled away and then held off St. Bonaventure for a 76-70 victory Wednesday night at the Reilly Center.
Khalif Wyatt and Juan Fernandez added 17 and 16 points, respectively, for Temple (20-5, 9-2 Atlantic 10), which maintained its position atop the conference with its ninth straight victory.
Moore, the A-10's leading scorer, at 18.8 points per game, shook off a forgettable first 20 minutes in which he went 0-for-2 from the field and played only 9 minutes because of foul trouble. Not surprising, Temple went into halftime trailing by a point, 31-30.
Moore scored six quick points out of halftime, connecting on a turnaround jumper and converting two layups off Temple steals. The guard also key a 15-3 run with a driving scoop shot, a three-pointer from the wing, and an assist to T.J. DiLeo for a lay-in.
The Owls led by as many as 14 points in the second half, but the game became tense at the end. St. Bonaventure (13-10, 6-5) cut the deficit to 72-69 with 23 seconds left on a Demetrius Conger put-back.
Moore came to the rescue, knocking in four straight free throws in the final 20 seconds.
Temple, which clinched its fifth straight 20-win season, is 17-2 in February since start of 2009-10 season.
Andrew Nicholson scored 19 points to lead the Bonnies, who had their eight-game home winning streak snapped.
