ATLANTA (AP) The thin bench, the gimmicky defense and the
frumpy curmudgeon of a coach have turned Temple into the darlings
of the NCAA Tournament.
|
|
|
|
Fri, March 23
Temple's ability to come out guns blazing at the first tip has been
extremely impressive throughout this NCAA Tournament. Against Texas, the Owls
dominated and led by 19 at the half. Against Billy Donovan's Florida Gators,
Temple was up by an incredible 20 points at the halfway mark. The story
was no different in the Sweet 16 against Penn State, as Jerry Dunn's team
was blitzed and found themselves down by 18 at the half.
The perimeter shooting of Lynn Greer and Quincy Wadley, combined with Alex
Westby's effective play led to Temple's big halftime lead. It was coast-city
from there on out. Penn State couldn't get it done as the Crispins had a
rough night. It was a tough way for senior Joe to end his collegiate career.
An 11th seed, Temple is now the lone Cinderella of this tournament. The way
the Owls are playing, they could give Michigan State a lot of trouble come
the regional final on Sunday.
More ...
|
|
|
Opponents are the only ones who can't seem to find anything
lovable about these guys.
John Chaney took his rumpled shirt, his loosened tie and his
vexing matchup-zone defense to the cusp of the Final Four again
Friday night, thanks to an 84-72 victory over flustered Penn State.
Lynn Greer scored 21 points to lead the Owls (24-12), who will
play in the South Regional final Sunday against Michigan State, a
77-62 winner over Gonzaga.
"We've played them before," Chaney said, recalling a 60-59
victory two seasons ago. "I know they're tough, extremely tough.
I'm just hoping we give them a good ballgame."
Anything seems possible for this 11th seed that has been as
dominating and perplexing as any team in the tournament over the
last two weeks.
The Owls have won their games by an average of 15 points. They
built an 18-point halftime lead against No. 7 seed Penn State
(21-12) and just like last week against Texas and Florida the
second half was mostly a matter of running out the clock.
"We do a great job of controlling the ball, and making teams
play like we want," said Alex Wesby, one of three players to log
40 minutes for the Owls, who only play seven guys. "With good
defense, we always know we'll be in the game."
Chaney made his fifth regional final in 19 years at the school
based in the hardscrabble streets of north Philly, but the
69-year-old coach is still seeking his first trip to the Final
Four.
This might be the most unlikely group to make it. Temple lost
seven straight in December, part of an awful stretch filled with
injuries and the departure of two players who were supposed to play
key roles.
"It would be a great feeling to be the first team to get him
there," David Hawkins said. "Not just for him, but for us."
Jon Crispin hit a 3-pointer to pull the Nittany Lions within 10
with three minutes remaining, but the Owls made 12 of 14 free
throws down the stretch to ice the game. They shot 26-for-30 from
the line.
Thus ended a nice run for the Nittany Lions, who struggled on
the big stage that the Penn State football program is more
accustomed to.
| | Titus Ivory tries to strip the ball from Temple forward Greg Jefferson, who scored 15 points. |
Joe Paterno, Franco Harris and a host of gridiron greats watched
from the stands, drawing more applause from Penn State fans as they
took their seats than almost anything the basketball team did over
a flustering 40 minutes.
"Stick to football," the small contingent of Temple fans
chanted, as the second half wore on.
Temple put this game away by outscoring the Lions 22-5 over the
last 11½ minutes of the first half. The matchup zone made Penn
State miserable, as guards Crispin and Titus Ivory struggled to
find holes to dribble or pass through.
Temple allowed only one basket a tip-in by Gyasi Cline-Heard
over the final 11 minutes of the half, and Penn State settled for a
series of rushed 3-pointers, a few of which barely drew iron.
"It definitely hurts, but this has been a great ride for
myself, the seniors and the entire Penn State team," Ivory said.
"We didn't accomplish what we wanted to accomplish, but we
accomplished more than people thought we would."
Crispin, who averaged 17 points in leading Penn State this far,
was barely a factor, making just four shots and finishing with 12
points. His brother, Jon, had six points on 2-for-10 shooting.
Ivory led Penn State with 20 points.
The Lions thought a few extra days to prepare, combined with
their 66-60 victory over Temple in December, might help them
decipher the zone.
"We didn't do a bad job," Joe Crispin said. "We just didn't
hit some looks that we normally make."
Penn State shot 40 percent and hit 13 of 33 3-pointers.
Temple's offense isn't bad either.
Greer, the leader of Temple's four-guard lineup, went 10-for-10
from the free-throw line to improve to 49-for-50 this postseason.
He also played 40 minutes. Center Kevin Lyde was a presence inside,
with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Reserve Greg Jefferson had a
career-high 15 points, and sparked Temple's first-half runaway.
"He was big," Wesby said. "He came off the bench when we
weren't hitting shots and helped us control the tempo."
Temple's efficiency kept the normally demonstrative Chaney
sitting placidly, except for during Penn State's brief rally late
in the second half. But this was never really a sweat Temple kept
its lead in double digits over the final 27 minutes.
It was Temple's 10th straight victory, and once again put Chaney
in reach of one of the few goals to elude him over a career that
has included 431 victories and 17 trips to the NCAA Tournament.
Send this story to a friend
|
|
ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
Temple Clubhouse
Penn State Clubhouse
Big trouble for Spartans?
AUDIO/VIDEO
John Chaney can't believe his team has gotten this far with only seven players. (Courtesy: NCAA Prod.)
wav: 144 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Quincy Wadley would love to get John Chaney a Final Four appearance. (Courtesy: NCAA Prod.)
wav: 108 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
|