Fordham

NEW YORK - Carl Jones wanted those free throws. He yearned for the opportunity to step to the foul line with the game in the balance, just like he did on Wednesday night at Fordham. He wanted to see if his extra work, measured by the 100 free throws he has made after each St. Joe's practice the last 2 weeks, had made a difference. "I wanted to put what I've been practicing into the game," Jones said. By knocking down seven of eight free throws in the final 62 seconds against Fordham, it's clear the additional work paid dividends.

NEW YORK - For the last two weeks, Carl Jones has made it a priority to work on his free throws. After shooting 76 percent from the line over his first three years at St. Joseph's, the senior guard had dipped to 64 percent heading into Wednesday night's game at Fordham. While Jones made sure he made 100 free throws before finishing up his practices, he needed seven to finish off Fordham in a 66-62 win. "I was thinking that they were going to go in because I've been practicing them," said Jones, who knocked down 7 of 8 free throws in the last 1 minute, 2 seconds and finished with 19 points.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Penn basketball coach Jerome Allen wants defense to be the foundation of his team. So far this season, that foundation has been shaky. The Quakers fell to Fordham, 70-68, Monday night in the consolation round of the NIT Tip-Off Tournament at Lehigh's Stabler Arena. Branden Frazier scored 19 points and Bryan Smith had 14 for Fordham (1-3). Miles Cartwright and Fran Dougherty carried Penn (1-4), even though Dougherty sat out much of the first half with two fouls.

BETHLEHEM - Penn basketball coach Jerome Allen has a defensive mind and he wants a defensive team. So far this season, he hasn't gotten it. Monday night in the consolation round of the NIT Tip-Off Tournament against Fordham, the Quakers lost, 70-68. And though Miles Cartwright and Fran Dougherty carried Penn (1-4), combining for 40 points and 12 rebounds, despite Dougherty sitting out much of the first half with two early fouls, Allen's concerns are defensive ones. For the second time in as many games, the Quakers watched a late lead slip through their fingers.

The Temple football team will play Fordham on Sept., 14, 2013 at Lincoln Financial Field, according to multiple sources. It is unlikely that the Owls will have a home-and-home series with the Football Championship Subdivision program. Temple's current announced nonleague games for next season are at Notre Dame (Aug. 31), at Idaho (Sept. 28), and against Army (Oct. 19) at the Linc. - Keith Pompey

On Katie Briglia Day, the Temple senior came through with the final goal of the game as the Owls defeated St. Joseph's, 4-1, Sunday in the final regular-season field hockey contest. "I really wanted to win today so I'm so glad we pulled that out and it makes the day that much better, said Briglia, a Villa Maria product. "It was definitely fun to score on Senior Day. " La Salle's Olivia Shoemaker (Souderton) scored her ninth goal of the season to tie the game early in the second half but Richmond answered with a pair of goals to give the Spiders the Atlantic Ten regular- season championship and a 3-1 win at DeVincent Field.

THE MORAL of the John Davis Story is . . . play your recruits in what amounts to a box-and-one. Davis, a 6-4 1/2, 200-pound senior forward at Ss. Neumann-Goretti High, has committed to play his college basketball at Towson. "One thing about Towson was, they came after me really hard," Davis said. "Their coaches were on me the most. I really bonded with them. During the live period, they came to every one of my AAU games and they've always stayed in contact. Even checked up on my grades to make sure I was doing my work.

Here is the 2012-13 St. Joseph's men's basketball TV schedule: Nov. 8: x-WHEELING JESUIT. . . 7 p.m. Nov. 12: y-YALE. . . 7 p.m. Nov. 16: y-vs. Notre Dame. . . 9 p.m. tru TV Nov. 17: y-consolation. . . 7 p.m. tru TV y-championship. . . 9 p.m. tru TV Nov. 20: HARVARD. . . 7:30 p.m. Nov. 28: AMERICAN. . . 7 p.m. Dec. 1: at Creighton. . . 3 p.m. ESPN3 Dec. 4: at Coppin State. . . 7:30 p.m. Dec. 11: at Villanova. . . 7 p.m. ESPNU Dec. 22: FAIRFIELD.

It took a while for Villanova's defense to get used to the frenzied Fordham spread offense, patterned after the University of Oregon's. The Wildcats' offense took just as long to get adjusted to Fordham's active defense. Yet after trailing at halftime, Villanova ruled the final two quarters on both sides of the ball during Saturday's 28-13, nonleague win in the Wildcats' home opener at soggy Villanova Stadium in a game whose start was delayed two hours by impending bad weather.

Carlton Koonce was just getting his feet wet in college football when he was forced to take an unexpected detour. The former Rancocas Valley running back was growing accustomed to life as a college student-athlete, having earned a football scholarship to Hofstra. Then, after his redshirt freshman season in 2009, Hofstra discontinued football, leaving Koonce and his teammates to go through recruiting once again. No hit by a defensive lineman could have blindsided Koonce more. "It came as a shock," Koonce said earlier this week by phone.