PHILADELPHIA (AP)—David Hawkins and Brian Polk scored 19 points each as Temple downed St. Bonaventure 78-77 Saturday at the Liacouras Center.
Hawkins hit a jump shot with 7.3 seconds to play to put the Owls up two, before the Bonnies’ Marques Green missed the second of two free throw attempts with 4.4 seconds left.
The Owls (12-13, 9-5 Atlantic 10) clinched second place in the conference’s Eastern Division and a first-round bye in the upcoming A-10 tournament. Mike Gansey led the Bonnies (13-14, 7-7) with 21 points.
Green—the A-10’s leading scorer at 21.5 points per game—shot just 6-for-16 from the field for 16 points.
Temple closed out the first half by answering one of Gansey’s 3-pointers with two of their own.
Bonaventure closed the gap to 74-71 with 2:50 to play, when Calvin Brown and Temple’s Hawley Smith got into a shoving match underneath the basket.
Once the teams resumed play, Gansey hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 74. The teams then traded baskets before Hawkins put the Owls up for good.
