Temple University Athletics
MEN'S BASKETBALL EDGED BY DE PAUL, 60-58
12.22.01 | Men's Basketball
Temple (3-7) saw a hard-earned five-point margin evaporate in the final two minutes and 17 seconds and dropped its fifth straight game. De Paul (6-4) surged ahead on the strength of near-identical three-point field goals by Quemont Greer down the stretch. His first cut the Owl margin to 57-55 at the 2:17 mark and his second gave the Blue Demons the a 58-57 lead with 1:44 to play. After four missed scoring opportunities, Temple's Kevin Lyde got the Owls even on a pressure-packed free throw with 10 seconds to play. But a full-court rush through man-to-man coverage, which ended in a layup by the Sam Hoskin, gave De Paul its second narrow win over the Owls in as many games (65-64 on a three-point buzzer-beater in Chicago, Jan. 20, 2001).
The Owls played well enough to win in every phase of the game except shooting percentage. Temple put up a season-high 76 shots from the field, including a Liacouras Center record 36 from three-point range, but could manage respective percentages of just 28.9 (22-76) and 22.2 (8-36). The Owls had more rebounds (47-45), committed fewer turnovers (11-15), and finished with more blocks (6-3) and steals (6-5) than the Demons. But in the end, the De Paul's ability to score from the perimeter (11-of-23 three-point field goals) made the difference.
De Paul opened a 26-15 lead mid-way through the first half on a free throw by Andre Brown. But a 10-2 run by the Owls pulled Temple to within 27-29, when Alex Wesby connected on his lone successful three-point field goal at the 7:38 mark. For the game, Wesby would finish just 1-of-9 from beyond the arc and 3-for-13 overall. Imari Sawyer's short jump shot with 3:58 remaining pushed the De Paul lead back to five, but a driving jumper by Greer at the horn cut the Demon lead to 33-32 at the break.
In the second half, the Owls took a 35-33 lead on long three-pointer by Greer just 17 seconds in. Temple extended the margin to 47-42 on a thundering dunk by Greg Jefferson at the 13:24 mark, but De Paul wouldn't go away. The Blue Demons got even at 47-47 on a layup by Andre Brown with 12:26 to play, before both teams went cold until Temple built a 57-52 lead on a Lyde free throw with 3:28 remaining.
Sophomore guard David Hawkins led Temple with 22 points, while Greer and Lyde each added 10. Senior center Ron Rollerson equaled his season best with a team-high 11 rebounds and set a career mark for shot blocks with five.
The Owls will remain idle until Dec. 30, when they host Philadelphia Big 5 rival Pennsylvania in a 1:00 p.m. start at the Liacouras Center.
