Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson scored 19 points and Ramone Moore had 17 as Temple defeated La Salle 76-70 in an Atlantic 10 Conference game on Wednesday night.
The Owls (12-5, 2-2) led by as many as 10 points in the second half, but the Explorers (13-6, 2-2) cut it to one point four times, the last at 68-67 with 3:25 remaining.
Juan Fernandez and Khalif Wyatt each made a pair of free throws to boost Temple's lead to five. After Tyreek Duren answered with a layup for La Salle, Hollis-Jefferson's jumper put the Owls ahead 74-69 with 23 seconds left.
Fernandez and Wyatt scored 12 points apiece for Temple, which has won 26 of its last 27 games in the Liacouras Center.
Duren scored 18 points to pace La Salle, which has lost six straight to its Philadelphia rival, including the Atlantic 10 tournament quarterfinals last season.
