GAME NOTES: The top-seeded Temple Owls will host the fifth-seeded George Washington Colonials in second-round action of the 2015 NIT on Sunday morning.

Both programs are familiar with one another having spent many years together in the Atlantic 10 Conference. They have met 68 times, with Temple winning 52 of them.

George Washington went on the road and knocked off Pittsburgh in the opening round, while Temple slipped past Bucknell at the Liacouras Center. Sunday's winner will play either Louisiana Tech or Texas A&M in the quarterfinals.

Will Cummings scored a game-high 30 points and pulled down seven rebounds as Temple survived against Bucknell, 73-67, on Wednesday. Also scoring in double figures for the hosts were Quenton DeCosey and Josh Brown with 13 and 11 points, respectively, the former accounting for seven rebounds and five assists as well.

In addition to outscoring the Bison at the free-throw line by a 21-10 margin, Temple also committed only five turnovers on the night.

Cummings is the straw that stirs the drink for Temple. A playmaker in several areas, Cummings was named an All-American Athletic Conference First-Team member. He leads Temple in scoring (14.7 ppg), assists (4.2 apg) and steals (64), while finding time to be an effective rebounder as well (4.2 rpg). DeCosey (12.4 ppg) and Jesse Morgan (11.6 ppg) provide other scoring options. Junior forward Jaylen Bond isn't much of a scorer (7.7 ppg), but did lead the AAC in rebounding this season (7.9 rpg).

Strong defense has fueled the Owls' success this year, as they limit foes to just 60.8 ppg and under 40 percent shooting (.393), in addition to holding a +2.9 turnover margin

George Washington will have had an extra day of rest after Kethan Savage netted 17 points to lift the Colonials to a 60-54 decision over Pitt last Tuesday. Patricio Garino added 14 points for the victors, who took a 28-23 lead into halftime after they converted 10 turnovers into 15 points.

The lead never changed hands after the break and GW held on for its first NIT win in five tries.

Garino leads the way for the Colonials with his play at both ends of the floor. The 6-foot-6 swingman is shooting a healthy 53.2 percent from the field and tops the team in scoring at 12.5 ppg. He also leads GW in steals (59) and ranks fourth in rebounding (5.3 rpg). Three other players have scoring averages in double figures, giving George Washington solid depth. Savage ranks second on the team with 11.3 ppg and he is followed closely by fellow juniors Kevin Larsen and Joe McDonald, with 10.6 and 10.1 ppg, respectively.

Temple, the last team snubbed from the NCAA Tournament, is 20-15 all-time in this event, with tournament titles in 1938 and 1969. The Owls have won seven straight at home, and they are primed for a run at a third NIT crown.