Much like he did in his first game back from ineligibility, Mark Tyndale wasted little time in putting points on the board in his first start of the season.
The junior guard punctuated his return to the starting lineup by slam-dunking the ball seven seconds into the Owls’ 80-67 loss to Saint Joseph’s Wednesday.
Coach Fran Dunphy had used the same starting lineup in each of the Owls’ first 13 games. But not on Wednesday. Dunphy inserted Tyndale in place of 7-0 center Sergio Olmos, placing four guards on the floor.
“He wasn’t giving us as much as I’d like off the bench,” Dunphy said on his decision to start Tyndale.
Tyndale responded to the switch by scoring six of his team-high 23 points within the game’s first six minutes, as Temple built a 15-6 lead. Tyndale, a former starter who sat out the first six games while academically ineligible, said it felt great to be back in the starting lineup.
“But at the same time, we didn’t win,” Tyndale said. “I didn’t do anything to help us win. So, I’ve got to do a better job myself.”
While logging a season-high 33 minutes, Tyndale brought down five rebounds, dished out two assists, grabbed a steal and blocked a shot.
With Tyndale on the court, the Owls (6-8 overall, 0-2 Atlantic Ten Conference) opened the game with four guards, a strategy they have utilized at various points during games this season.
“It gives us an advantage on the outside, like on the perimeter,” Tyndale said. “It takes a lot of big guys off of the dribble. But we got to rebound, though.
“When we got four guards, then we’ve got to rebound better as a whole. But we’re not doing that well at all.”
Dunphy’s offensive philosophy has allowed the Owls to shoot more frequently than under former coach John Chaney, but they’ve also had to score more frequently to win games.
The Owls fell to 0-7 when they fail to record 70 points Wednesday. By comparison, they are 6-0 when they reach that same plateau.
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