Temple University Athletics
OWLS SUFFER 80-73 NIT OPENING ROUND LOSS TO AKRON
3.14.06 | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA -- With first assistant coach Dan Leibovitz calling the shots, Temple suffered an 80-73 N.I.T. opening round loss to Akron Tuesday evening at the Liacouras Center in overtime. The defeat quickly became secondary, however, when Mardy Collins, Temple's fourth all-time leading scorer and All-American, was wheeled out on a stretcher with 27 seconds remaining in the extra stanza. Collins went down hard on a driving layup when he became entangled with Zips forward Romeo Travis.
The loss ultimately ended the career of Temple head coach John Chaney, who announced his retirement Monday afternoon effective at the end of the season. The Hall of Fame head coach did not attend the game due to a personal situation.
Sophomore Mark Tyndale scored a game-high 23 points on 7-14 shooting, while making all eight free throw attempts. Collins posted 22 to conclude his career in Cherry & White with 1,919 points. For Akron, Darryl Peterson and Nick Dials both generated 17 points to lead four Zips in double figures.
The Owls had a chance to win in regulation but a Collins 17-footer with two seconds remaining was off the mark and sent Temple (17-15) into its first overtime contest since a 98-92 double OT win over UMass on March 3, 2004. In the extra stanza, the Zips made four of their six field goal attempts, while the Owls made just two of eight shots. A Cedrick Middleton jumper proved the decisive measure, giving Akron (23-9) a 76-71 lead with 1:35 remaining.
Temple shot 33.8 percent (25-74) for the game and made 25 percent (9-36) from behind the arc. Akron made 47.5 percent (28-59) of its shots, including a 37.9 (11-29) mark from long range.
The visitors, trailing by eight, exited the locker room after the midpoint with a definite agenda. The Zips reduced the deficit to one point, 37-36, with 16:20 remaining in regulation on a Dru Joyce layup. The Zips took their first lead, 47-45, on a Quade Milum jumper at 12:36. The Owls regained the lead on a Dustin Salisbery three-pointer as the teams traded advantages down the stretch. A Joyce jumper with nine second remaining knotted the score at 66 and proved the final basket of regulation.
The game began in sluggish fashion before a subdued crowd. Temple made just one of its first eight shots. Akron, meanwhile, went scoreless for over five minutes to open the game as Temple jumped-out to a 4-0 lead. The Zips posted their first points on a Dials three-pointer at 14:49.
Temple took its first double-digit lead, 16-5, on the second of Robinson's three first half three pointers at the midpoint of the opening stanza. It marked the first of four double figure advantages for the Owls in the first half. A pesky Akron squad continually bounced back, however, reducing its deficit to six points three times after the third media timeout at 6:42.
The Owls entered the locker room at intermission with a 34-26 lead after a driving Tyndale layup with four second on the clock concluded the first half scoring. Temple shot 33.3 percent (12-36) from the field and 31.6 percent (6-19) from behind the arc. Akron made 41.7 percent (10-24) of its first half field goals, including a 38.5 percent (5-13) mark from long range.
The Zips travel to Omaha, Nebraska, to meet Creighton in an N.I.T. first round contest Thursday evening.
