Temple University Athletics
TEMPLE UPSETS #6 GEORGE WASHINGTON TO ADVANCE TO A-10 SEMIFINALS
3.9.06 | Men's Basketball
CINCINNATI -- All season long John Chaney has said that this Temple team is one of the best he has coached in his 24-year tenure. Thursday afternoon at U.S. Bank Arena they proved it. The Owls (17-13) put together one of their finest defensive efforts in the program's history in man-handling top-seed and sixth-ranked George Washington, 68-53. Temple ended the nation's longest win streak at 18 games and held the high-scoring Colonials (79.9 ppg.) to a season-low point total.
Senior forward Antywane Robinson put together another stellar effort, scoring a game-high 19 points to go along with six rebounds. Sophomore guard Mark Tyndale posted his third career double-double, tallying 15 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Junior center Wayne Marshall gave Chaney his all-important triple threat, matching his season-high with 15 points.
Senior guard Mardy Collins, held to a season-low five points, orchestrated the Owls' offense flawlessly while controlling the tempo of the game.
"The constant on our ball club is Mardy Collins," said Chaney, who improved his record to 22-2 in Atlantic 10 Quarterfinal action. "He did a magnificent job today. He kept the music playing and set the table as well as any point guard I have had."
George Washington tried to dictate the tempo early, starting the game by forcing three Owl turnovers over the first three minutes to jump out to a quick 8-4 lead. Temple adjusted to the Colonials pressure defense and stayed even with the league's top team on the strength of Robinson's outside touch. The 6-8 forward scored 13 of his points in the first half, including nine straight for TU in a two-minute stretch to keep the game close.
After a Carl Elliott (18 points) three-pointer put GW ahead 23-18 with eight minutes to play in the half, the Owls zone picked up its intensity. Temple would hold the Colonials scoreless for the next nine-and-a-half minutes. The Owls ran off 18 points during that stretch capped by a Dion Dacon three-point play to take a 36-23 lead with 19 minutes remaining.
Then it was up to Collins to control the tempo, taking the air out of the ball.
The Owls kept the Colonials at bay the rest of the game as Tyndale scored 12 points in the period, including a back-breaking four-point play when GW had cut it to six (38-32, 15:56). GW would not get closer the remainder of the contest.
Marshall showed his fine touch from 15 feet, hitting consecutive foul-line jumpers to lift Temple to its biggest lead until the final seconds, 57-43, with 5:24 remaining. He then slammed one home on the team's next possession off a nice feed from Tyndale.
Temple, the A-10's worst free throw shooting team, struggled from the line down the stretch, hitting just four-of-eight over the final 1:21, but GW was unable to capitalize.
The Owls won mainly by their defense. TU forced 19 turnovers which led to 25 points. For the second straight game Tyndale matched his career high with five steals.
It was the highest-ranked opponent that Temple has defeated since the Owls won at #1 Cincinnati, 77-69, on February 20, 2000.
Temple next faces fifth-seeded Saint Joseph's (17-12), a 56-37 winner over fourth-seeded Saint Louis. The game is slated for 6:30 p.m. Friday and will be televised on the A-10 Television Network (Comcast SportsNet locally).
