Temple University Athletics
Temple Falls To Michigan State, 72-61, In NCAA First Round
3.20.08 | Men's Basketball
March 20, 2008
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DENVER, CO - Fifth-seeded Michigan State clamped down defensively on 12th-seeded Temple, especially junior Dionte Christmas, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament by beating the Owls, 72-61, at the Pepsi Center on Thursday afternoon. Senior Mark Tyndale scored 14 of his game-high 16 points in the second half to pace Temple. The Atlantic 10 Champions finish their season with a 21-13 record, the most victories since the 2000-01 team won 24 games.
"I thought Michigan State's defense was terrific," head coach Fran Dunphy said. "We couldn't really run a lot of our sets. At some point we just let Mark make plays. I think that's a tribute to how they play the game, how difficult they are to score against."
Christmas had his toughest contest of the season and failed to score in double-digits for just the second time all year. He finished with three points on 1-for-12 shooting as he was hassled all day by Michigan State's Drew Neitzel and Raymar Morgan. His only bucket came with 13 minutes remaining in the contest, leaving the Owls looking for scoring options for most of the contest.
"Michigan State did a good job of defending me," Christmas said. "They were very physical. That was one of the most physical teams I played against."
Tyndale was also kept under wraps for the first half. The senior scored just two points in the opening stanza but did his best to keep his collegiate career going in the second half. He scored seven straight points beginning at the eight-minute mark that brought the Owls within 10 points at 64-54 with 3:53 to play. But the A-10 champs would draw no closer and watched as the Spartans moved onto the second round for the eighth time under head coach Tom Izzo.
With its one-two punch having to work overtime just to get open looks, sophomore Ryan Brooks and freshman Lavoy Allen did their best to keep Temple within striking distance. Brooks finished with 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting, while Allen had 13 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. The 6-9 forward also made two three-pointers, the first of his young career.
Morgan led a balanced scoring attack for Michigan State (26-8) with 15 points, while Chris Allen had 12 and Drew Naymick added 10. Neitzel, an All-Big Ten selection, was held to five points on 2-for-11 shooting, well below his 14.2 ppg. average.
The Spartans capitalized on several defensive lapses to convert on easy baskets as part of a 15-2 run in the first half. Temple committed to double-teaming off perimeter screens, but failed to rotate, which led to several open dunks for MSU. Izzo's squad led 30-17 with just under three minutes to play before halftime.
Michigan State slowly stretched its lead to as many as 19 points with just under nine minutes remaining. Trailing 58-39, Temple outscored the Spartans 15-6 over the next five minutes to cut the deficit to 10. MSU proved to be too much and moved on to play the fourth-seeded Pittsburgh, an 82-63 winner over 13th-seeded Oral Roberts.
Tyndale finished his career as the only Owl to rank in Temple's top 20 in scoring and rebounding and Top 10 in assists and steals. Chris Clark, the only other scholarship senior on the Owls, had two points in 12 minutes in his collegiate finale.
The Cherry and White was making its first NCAA appearance since 2001. That team advanced to the Elite Eight under Hall of Fame head coach John Chaney before being eliminated by Michigan State, 69-62.
"I think Coach Dunphy did a great job of getting us back to this point where we deserved to be," Tyndale said."We would have liked to play a little bit longer, but unfortunately our season ends right here. "
