EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Juan Fernandez and Ramone Moore both scored 15 points to lead three-time defending Atlantic 10 champion Temple to a 70-51 victory over Fordham in the conference opener for both teams on Wednesday night.
Michael Eric had 14 points and 11 rebounds and Lavoy Allen added 12 points for the Owls (10-3, 1-0), who took over the game by closing the first half on a 13-0 run for a 35-27 lead and opening the second on a 19-4 burst to take a 55-31 lead with 12:20 to play.
Freshman Branden Frazier had 16 points for the Rams (6-7, 0-1), who lost their third straight overall and 27th straight in the conference. Fordham was 1-15 in the A-10 in 2008-09 and 0-16 last season.
Fordham, under first-year coach Tom Pecora, built a 27-22 lead by going 4 of 7 from 3-point range while the Owls were struggling from outside the arc (2 of 8) and just weren’t being effective inside.
That all changed in a hurry.
