Temple 58, Fordham 50

1/31/2008 9:18 PM

NEW YORK (AP) -Reserve guard Chris Clark scored a career-high 16 points and Temple beat Fordham 58-50 Thursday night, the Owls' fourth victory in their last five games.

Mark Tyndale added 14 points and 12 rebounds and Dionte Christmas, the Atlantic 10's leading scorer with a 20.8 average, had 13 points for the Owls (10-9, 3-3), who had just five players score in the game.

Marcus Stout had 11 points for the Rams (8-10, 2-4), who had won the last three meetings in the series after losing the previous 20. Bryant Dunston, the conference leader in rebounding with a 9.4 average, had nine points and 12 rebounds for the Rams.

The 5-foot-8 Clark, whose previous best was 11 points earlier this season against Providence, and Christmas both scored four points in a 10-0 run that gave Temple a 46-39 lead with 6:18 to play.

Sebastian Greene made two free throws and Stout scored on a drive to bring the Rams within 46-43 with 5:04 left but Clark ended a string of three straight empty possessions by the Owls by scoring on a drive with 3 seconds left on the shot clock and 3:39 to go in the game.

Stout scored down low to get Fordham within 50-47 with 2:01 to play, but the Owls went 8-for-9 from the free throw line the rest of the way.

Clark was 6-for-9 from the field for the Owls, who shot 41.2 percent (21-for-51), while Christmas, who came into the game shooting 46 percent from the field, finished 6-for-17 including missing all five 3-point attempts. Christmas' low point total this season is 12 in the opener against Tennessee. He scored at least 20 points in seven of the last eight games.

Temple came into the game third in the conference in 3-point shooting at 38.8 percent but the Owls finished 3-for-18.