Temple University Athletics
Photo by: Mitchell Leff
Owls Revive With a Home Win
1.13.13 | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA -- The jolt of the plane skidding to a halt on the faintly illuminated runway Thursday night roused the players from whatever restless shuteye they'd managed to gather en route home from yet another intense matchup -- this time in the team's conference opener at Xavier.
Fran Dunphy and his Temple Owls trudged down the charter's staircase to collect their belongings, a hooded sweatshirt-clad band of weary road warriors following in the footsteps of their leader.
As the team climbed onto the bus bound for campus, the back-to-back losses faded into oblivion faster than the reflection of taillights in the rearview mirror.
Sighs of relief echoed in the silence -- the relief of returning home safely, of ending a tough series, of beginning anew at home.
The sting of defeat lingered though, weighing heavy on a team struggling to develop a consistent offensive identity.
“Coach Dunphy didn't think we took advantage of our opportunities in two winnable games,” senior Khalif Wyatt said about the team's first series of back-to-back losses since the 2009 season.
“The thing he was most disappointed with was that we had a chance to go into Kansas and win. He didn't think we took advantage of that. We thought that too. Same thing with Xavier.”
But the scorn of defeat, coupled with the fire and determination to avenge a series of losses is a great motivator, and the Owls knew exactly what they had to do in Saturday's contest against the Saint Louis University Billikens.
Win.
It was both a simple and complicated directive.
Simple, because it's an accomplishment the group had completed 10 times thus far.
Complicated, because in order to get that 11th win, they'd have to beat a team riding the high of a nine-game win streak. To beat a squad that hadn't lost since the passing of its head coach, Rick Majerus, on December 1.
That final jolt of the wheels screeching to a halt on the tarmac late on Thursday night seemed to resonate some 48 hours later, thrusting the Owls into action in tonight's home conference opener.
Wyatt, who scored only five points on 2-for-11 shooting at Xavier, exploded for a game-high 24 points, seven of which came in the game's opening four minutes.
It propelled Anthony Lee to his third double-double performance of the season with 20 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
Most importantly, the 64-54 win over Saint Louis gave Temple its 11th win of the season and pulled them back to an even keel in the A-10, improving the team's conference record to 1-1.
“It was really important to get this win,” sophomore Anthony Lee said. “We didn't want to get on a three-game losing streak. I think it's going to propel us to do well in this next stretch.”
The next stretch for Temple, like the rest of its A-10 opponents, is a period of 14 games where each missed shot may mean the difference between not only a win or a loss, but bid to the big dance in March.
If that sounds dramatic, that's because it is.
With the off-season addition of stellar programs in Butler and VCU to the league's already-talented conference slate, the level of competition in conference play is at an all-time high.
More so than ever before, there is limited wiggle room for teams to play at any echelon lower than their best.
After the game, Fran Dunphy touched on the importance of recognizing the challenges his team faces in the upcoming weeks.
“The issue is that every game is so critical in this league, and every game is so critical to your final goal of trying to get to the NCAA tournament,” he explained. “We now have 14 league games left and every one of them is going to be an absolute battle, as evidenced by today.”
With a resolute stare, he offered one final thought.
“We need to win every game we have.”
A craggy foray into conference play lies ahead for this particular band of surrogate brothers bound by basketball.
No rest for the weary.
Kami Mattioli, Owlsports.com columnist
Fran Dunphy and his Temple Owls trudged down the charter's staircase to collect their belongings, a hooded sweatshirt-clad band of weary road warriors following in the footsteps of their leader.
As the team climbed onto the bus bound for campus, the back-to-back losses faded into oblivion faster than the reflection of taillights in the rearview mirror.
Sighs of relief echoed in the silence -- the relief of returning home safely, of ending a tough series, of beginning anew at home.
The sting of defeat lingered though, weighing heavy on a team struggling to develop a consistent offensive identity.
“Coach Dunphy didn't think we took advantage of our opportunities in two winnable games,” senior Khalif Wyatt said about the team's first series of back-to-back losses since the 2009 season.
“The thing he was most disappointed with was that we had a chance to go into Kansas and win. He didn't think we took advantage of that. We thought that too. Same thing with Xavier.”
But the scorn of defeat, coupled with the fire and determination to avenge a series of losses is a great motivator, and the Owls knew exactly what they had to do in Saturday's contest against the Saint Louis University Billikens.
Win.
It was both a simple and complicated directive.
Simple, because it's an accomplishment the group had completed 10 times thus far.
Complicated, because in order to get that 11th win, they'd have to beat a team riding the high of a nine-game win streak. To beat a squad that hadn't lost since the passing of its head coach, Rick Majerus, on December 1.
That final jolt of the wheels screeching to a halt on the tarmac late on Thursday night seemed to resonate some 48 hours later, thrusting the Owls into action in tonight's home conference opener.
Wyatt, who scored only five points on 2-for-11 shooting at Xavier, exploded for a game-high 24 points, seven of which came in the game's opening four minutes.
It propelled Anthony Lee to his third double-double performance of the season with 20 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
Most importantly, the 64-54 win over Saint Louis gave Temple its 11th win of the season and pulled them back to an even keel in the A-10, improving the team's conference record to 1-1.
“It was really important to get this win,” sophomore Anthony Lee said. “We didn't want to get on a three-game losing streak. I think it's going to propel us to do well in this next stretch.”
The next stretch for Temple, like the rest of its A-10 opponents, is a period of 14 games where each missed shot may mean the difference between not only a win or a loss, but bid to the big dance in March.
If that sounds dramatic, that's because it is.
With the off-season addition of stellar programs in Butler and VCU to the league's already-talented conference slate, the level of competition in conference play is at an all-time high.
More so than ever before, there is limited wiggle room for teams to play at any echelon lower than their best.
After the game, Fran Dunphy touched on the importance of recognizing the challenges his team faces in the upcoming weeks.
“The issue is that every game is so critical in this league, and every game is so critical to your final goal of trying to get to the NCAA tournament,” he explained. “We now have 14 league games left and every one of them is going to be an absolute battle, as evidenced by today.”
With a resolute stare, he offered one final thought.
“We need to win every game we have.”
A craggy foray into conference play lies ahead for this particular band of surrogate brothers bound by basketball.
No rest for the weary.
Kami Mattioli, Owlsports.com columnist
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