Bodog Beat

Dionte Christmas cuts down the net after chopping down St. Joe's. (AP Images)

Christmas came early for Temple, which earned its first March Madness berth in the post-John Chaney era on Saturday night.

The resurgent Owls got a gift-wrapped 22 points from Dionte Christmas in a 69-64 victory over arch-rival Saint Joseph’s in the Atlantic 10 championship game in Atlantic City, N.J.

Under Fran Dunphy, Temple finished 21-12. In the title game, the Owls shot 61 percent from the floor. Ryan Brooks scored 15 points in the win.

Temple beat the point spread, which favored Saint Joseph’s by two.

In other conference championship action in college hoops:

Coppin State 62, Morgan State 60: You won’t have to wonder long about where Coppin State will be seeded in the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles finished at 16-20 after upsetting the Mid-Eastern Conference’s top seed, Morgan State, in Raleigh, N.C. Morgan State was favored by 6.5.

UNLV 76, BYU 61: Wink Adams scored 23 points as the Runnin’ Rebels returned to the NCAA Tournament, where they made a Cinderella run last year, by beating the Cougars in Las Vegas. UNLV was favored by one.

Kent State 74, Akron 55: Senior forward Mike Scott had 14 points and 13 boards as Kent State covered the two-point spread to win the Mid-American title in Cleveland.

Mississippi Valley State 59, Jackson State 58: Two free throws from Carl Lucas with less than a second to play clinched the Southwestern Athletic championship for Mississippi Valley State. Underdog Jackson State beat the 2.5-point spread.

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