Temple University Athletics
MEN'S BASKETBALL DEFEATS NO. 10 INDIANA AT THE LIACOURAS CENTER
12.28.02 | Men's Basketball
John Chaney, in his 21st season at Temple, returned after a two-game hiatus to direct the Owls to victory. The hall of fame coach did not travel to Penn State (Dec.11) or Illinois (Dec. 14) due to a mild case of pneumonia which hospitalized him for three nights after a three-game road swing over four days in the Carolinas.
Indiana shot 50 percent (11-22) in a first half that featured eight lead changes. Despite the Hoosiers hot shooting, they entered the locker room at the midpoint with just a two point lead (36-34). The Owls forced eight turnovers and made six steals prior to the break while taking 14 more shots (14-36, 38.9 percent) than their opponent.
Temple opened the second half with an 18-8 burst to take a 52-44 lead with 14:12 showing on the clock. Indiana answered with a 15-6 surge and held a 59-58 advantage after a Bracey Wright three-pointer with 6:15 to play. The Owls proceeded to deposit seven straight points and took a 65-59 lead on a David Hawkins jumper with 2:25 remaining.
The Hoosiers, however, held tough and reduced the lead to 65-63 after Jeff Newton hit a pair of free throws with 1:14 to play. Maurice Collins increased the Owls' advantage to four with a pair of free throws before Indiana's Marshall Strickland made one of two from the charity stripe bring UI to within 67-64 with 14.7 seconds remaining.
The Hoosiers had a chance to tie the game after a pair of missed Temple free throws but a three-pointer by Wright was off the mark and Alex Wesby was fouled pulling down the rebound. Wesby deposited both free throws to make it 69-64 with 3.1 seconds left. Brian Polk stole the subsequent inbounds pass and put an exclamation point on the Temple victory with a slam dunk while :02 seconds showed on the scoreboard.
Wesby scored 26 points, the second highest scoring output of his career, and Collins added 16 points to pace the Cherry & White. Wright netted 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Hoosiers, who have dropped two in a row since opening the season with eight straight victories.
The Owls return to the hardwood on Tuesday, December 31, with a 4:00 p.m. New Years Eve contest at Philadelphia Big Five rival Villanova. The game will be televised on CN8.
