PHILADELPHIA, March 21 (UPI) -- David Hawkins scored a career-high 36 points and Maurice Collins added 17 Friday night to lead Temple to a 75-62 victory over the Boston Eagles in the first round of the NIT.
Hawkins made 11 of his 16 field-goal attempts, including four three-pointers, and went 10 of 11 from the free-throw line.
Freshman Craig Smith led the way for Boston College with 24 points.
After defeating Fairfield in its first NIT game since 1993, Boston College was looking for Big East Conference Player of the Year Troy Bell to lead it to its first victory over Temple in four lifetime meetings.
But Boston College's all-time leading scorer was held to just 15 points.
Advancing to face Atlantic 10 rival Rhode Island in the second round on Tuesday, Temple took a 36-35 lead at halftime, thanks to 15 points from Hawkins.
After Alex Wesby opened the second half with a three-pointer to give the Owls a four-point advantage, the Eagles used a 10-0 run for a 45-39 advantage.
The lead was short-lived as Temple took control in the final 10 minutes, outscoring Boston College by a 23-11 margin.
