PHILADELPHIA (AP) Dustin Salisbery scored 15 points and hit the go-ahead 3-pointer to lead Temple to a 53-52 win over Villanova on Saturday.
Salisbery's 3-pointer with 1:06 left gave the Owls (2-3) a 53-50 lead. Mardy Collins then came up with a clutch block from behind on Villanova's Jason Fraser's dunk attempt, and the Owls forced a shot-clock violation on the same possession.
After Temple's Antywane Robinson missed the front end of a one-and-one, the Owls defense was big again, forcing an Allan Ray airball. Curtis Sumpter sank two free throws to cut Temple's lead to 53-52 with 25 seconds left.
Villanova had one last possession, but Sumpter's shot at the buzzer was off and Temple fans stormed the court, swarming the players. Temple now leads the career series 40-39.
Collins and Mark Tyndale each scored 11 points and Keith Butler had 10 rebounds for the Owls.
Sumpter had 15 points and 13 rebounds for Villanova (1-1), Ray scored 11 points and Randy Foye added 10.
Neither team was ever able to gain much of a lead in a very tight game.
Ray's 3-pointer gave Villanova a 43-40 lead late in the second half, but Salisbery answered with a 3 of his own. After the Owls again led by three, Foye scored four straight points for the Wildcats.
Collins gave Temple a 50-49 lead on a 17-footer and the Wildcats tied it on a free throw with 1:44 left. Then Salisbery won it for the Owls, who have already lost two games this year on the final possession.
The game was the second in a tripleheader, the Big Five Classic, held at the Palestra. All Division I schools in the Philadelphia area played, with Penn beating La Salle 78-67 in the opener and Saint Joseph's playing Drexel in the nightcap.
