This Land is Owl Land, This Land Ain’t Maryland

Before a loud and raucous crowd at the storied Palestra, the Temple Owls beat the Maryland Terrapins 73-60 on Saturday afternoon. Combining balanced scoring and good outside shooting, Temple fashioned a hard fought victory in the matinee game which tipped just after 11am.

Temple got double figure scoring from Khalif Wyatt and Ramon Moore, both with 20 points, Juan Fernandez with 14 points, and Aaron Brown with 12 points. The only other Temple player to score was Anthony Lee who added 7 points. Wyatt led Temple in assists with 7, and Brown was the Owls leading rebounder with 8.

The Owls hit 9 of 22 three-point attempts (40.9%) including two triples after Maryland had closed the lead to 1 point, late in the second half. Fernandez was perfect from behind the arc, connecting on all three of his attempts.

Temple outscored Maryland by 3 points in the first half, taking a 32-29 lead into intermission. The Owls opened the second half with an 8 point run to build their lead to 40-29 on a bucket by Fernandez.

Temple expanded their lead to 12 on several occasions and it looked like they had taken control of the game. However, Maryland rallied and cut the margin to 1 point on a Terrell Stoglin bucket. The Terrapins had a chance to take the lead on the next possession but missed their shot and Moore scored for Temple who never relinquished the lead.

Temple scored the last 7 points of the game to give them the 13 point margin of victory, their largest lead of the day.

Michael Eric played for Temple for the first time since November 25th, after he missed thirteen games due to injury. He was greeted with a standing ovation from the Temple fans, played seven minutes, and missed his only field-goal attempt.

Maryland was led in scoring by Stoglin who dropped 20 points. Pe’Shon Howard added 15 points, and James Padgett chipped in 10. Sean Mosley pulled down 10 boards for Maryland and Nick Faust handed out 4 assists.

Maryland barely edged out Temple on the glass by a 28-27 margin. The Terrapins had twice as many turnovers (16) as assists (8). Temple, was the polar opposite, dishing out 20 assists to just 10 turnovers.

Temple was also stronger from the charity stripe, sinking 10 of 13 (76.9%). Maryland hit just 12 of 21 free-throws (57.1%).

Temple improved to 13-5 with the victory and 2-0 vs. the ACC this season (after an upset victory of Duke earlier this season). The Owls managed the double-digit win without a single point from Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson who was saddled with foul trouble in the first half and attempted just one field-goal for the game. The Owls next play at Charlotte on Wednesday evening.

With the loss, the shell-shocked Terrapins drop to 12-6. Their next game also comes on Wednesday when they host the #4 ranked Duke Blue Devils.

To view an additional photo gallery from today’s game,

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Temple vs. Duke: Owls Exorcise Devils in Upset Victory

The Temple Owls played the nationally ranked Duke Blue Devils at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night. Duke, coached by legendary Hall-of-Famer Mike Krzyzewski, came to town ranked third & fifth in the country (in the two major polls), sporting a 12-1 record. Temple, coached by Fran Dunphy, entered the game with a 9-3 record.

When the final buzzer sounded on Wednesday night, the Temple Owls (still without injured players Michael Eric & Scootie Randall) had a signature win for their program, with a capital “S”, and their fans had reason to rush the court in celebration.

The victory, 78-73, came in front of a sold-out crowd at the Wells-Fargo Center. It was the first win for the Owls in the building (in three tries) and the crowd was the third largest to ever watch a college basketball game in the arena (the two largest crowds took place during Villanova games). It was Temple’s first win over Duke since 1996 as The Blue Devils had won the previous nine match-ups.

No team polarizes college basketball fans quite like Duke. The Blue Devils are the college basketball version of the New York Yankees, people either love or hate them.

Duke jumped out to a 9-6 lead over the Temple Owls before the capacity crowd of 20,000+ shortly after the game tipped moments past 7pm. Temple went ahead for the first time a few minutes later 10-9 on a dunk by Anthony Lee. After several lead changes, Temple forged ahead 18-17 on a bucket by Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson. Temple, paced by Jefferson and Aaron Brown, maintained the lead for much of the first half. Duke tied the game at 31-31 on a basket by Mason Plumlee but the Owls regained the lead on a basket by Jefferson. The half ended with the Owls in the lead 35-33. The only player for either team to score in double figures for the first half was Miles Plumlee with 12.

Temple started the second half on a 4-0 run to push their lead to 39-33, forcing the Blue Devils to call a timeout. Duke closed the margin to 41-39 on two made foul shots by Mason Plumlee. The Owls then soared to a 47-40 lead on a steal by T.J. DiLeo and a dunk by Aaron Brown. After the Blue Devils cut the lead to 49-45 , the Owls took a 10 point  lead, 55-45, on consecutive triples by Ramon Moore and Khalif Wyatt.

The Owls never relinquished their lead in the second half and held off Duke for the upset win.

Temple’s upset victory was built on a foundation of balanced scoring. Five Owls scored in double figures, led by Khalif Wyatt with 22 points (5 steals, 4 rebounds, 3 assists). Hollis-Jefferson added 17 points, and Brown, Moore, and Lee each chipped in 11 (with Lee also leading the team in rebounding with 7). Juan Fernandez led the Owls in assists with 6, although he also committed 7 turnovers (to go along with just 4 points).

For Duke, it was was Miles Plumlee leading the way with 17 points. His brother, Mason Plumlee added 16 points and led the team in rebounds (13) and assists (4). Freshman Austin Rivers (son of NBA coach Doc Rivers) was the only other Blue Devil in double figures, adding 12 points.

Temple won the battle of the boards 30-29 and was +1 in assist-to-turnover ratio (Duke was -3). For the game, Temple shot an impressive .564% from the field including 50% from three-point range.

Next up for the Owls is an A-10 conference game on Saturday afternoon (4pm) as Temple hosts Dayton. Duke will also see action again on Saturday as they look to rebound from their loss in a game at Georgia Tech (12pm).

Temple’s win highlighted a great night for Philadelphia college basketball. LaSalle beat Xavier, St. Joe’s completed a big comeback win on the road against Duquesne, Drexel drubbed Towson, and Penn beat Lafayette.

To view post-game press conferences from Mike Krzyzewski, Fran Dunphy, and Ramon Moore & Khalif Wyatt,

CLICK HERE!

To view an expanded photo gallery from Temple vs. Duke,

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Temple Bests Villanova with Second Half Effort

Behind by one point at the half, 36-35, the Temple Owls, led by Ramone Moore’s 23 second half points, beat the struggling Villanova Wildcats 78-67 at the Liacouras Center on Saturday afternoon (before a crowd of 10,206). All in all, Moore scored a season (and career) high 32 points to lead the Owls to the victory in the hotly contested Big Five game.

The contest saw the score tied eight times, and the lead changed 11 times, before the Owls pulled ahead for good 56-54 on a basket by T.J. DiLeo with under 8 minutes left in the game. Moore then scored nine of Temple’s next eleven points to help expand the Owls lead to nine, 67-58. The Wildcats came no closer than seven points the rest of the way. With the win, Temple improved its record to 6-2, 2-0 Big Five. Villanova dropped to 5-4, 2-1 Big Five.

The Wildcats got out to a 7-2 lead, with Jayvaughn Pinkston contributing 5 points early. The Owls quickly caught up and took the lead 8-7 on a throw down by Anthony Lee. The teams then traded the lead back and forth, until Temple went on a 10-2 run to take a 23-15 lead, with Khalif Wyatt and Rahir Hollis-Jefferson pacing the way. The Wildcats returned the favor by going on a 15-4 run to take the lead back 30-27. The lead changed hands several more times before Mouph Yarou closed out the first half, scoring on a bucket with 33 seconds remaining, to give the visitors the halftime lead 36-35. Maalik Wayns was the high scorer for the Cats in the first half with 13. Wyatt led the Owls with 11.

At the half, the Temple football team was honored for earning a Bowl appearance (vs. Wyoming in the New Mexico Bowl on December 17th).

The second half was also a see-saw battle with the lead changing hands several times. Temple forged into the lead 50-47 on a trey by Ramone Moore, before Villanova re-tied the score at 54-54  on a put-back by James Bell. The Owls then ran off ten straight points to take a 64-54, with Moore scoring 6 of the 10. The Owls would not relinquish the lead the rest of the way.

For the Owls, Moore was joined in double figures by Khalif Wyatt (who hobbled off at the 1:42 mark) with 13 points, and Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson, who had a double-double with 11 points and a game high 14 rebounds. Juan Fernandez handed out 4 assists.

For Villanova, Maalik Wayns was the leading scorer with 23 points. He was joined in double figures by Yarou (14 points) and Dominic Cheek with 10 (all in the first half). Yarou was also the Wildcats leading rebounder with 8. Wayns had 7 assists to pace Villanova.

Temple, for the game, shot 43.8 % from the field, hitting 28 of 64 shots. From the charity stripe, the Owls shot 18 for 24 (75 %) and a tepid 4 of 17 (23.5%) three point shots. Temple pulled down 39 rebounds, breaking even with Villanova on the boards. Villanova shot 24 of 59 field goal attempts (40.7%), and hit 16 of 24 free throw attempts (66.7%). Nova shot an ice cold 3 of 20 three point shots (15%), including 0 for 9 in the second half.

For Temple the win was their 24th in a row at the Liacouras Center. The Owls, who have now won three straight, travel to Austin, Texas to play the University of Texas Longhorns next Saturday, December 17. Villanova, which has now lost four of their last five games, next plays Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center against the Boston University Terriers.

In attendance at the game was Phillies free-agent shortstop Jimmy Rollins as well as several potential Temple recruits.

To view 50+ additional photos from the game

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Rugby Sevens Tournament at PPL Park: It’s Not Easy Beating Green

The Rugby Sevens College Tournament was held at PPL Park in Chester over the weekend during a two day event which featured not only rugby but food, fun, and a concert by the Dropkick Murphy’s.

Rugby Sevens features seven players per side on the same size pitch as a traditional 15’s match. The high-scoring format provides for almost non-stop tournament play, as each match is split into two seven-minute halves, followed by a new game about every 20 minutes. Rugby Sevens kicks off as an Olympic sport in 2016.

Utah vs. ND

DAY ONE:

The powerhouse rugby programs of California, Utah, and Arizona showed up in near perfect form in front of the 10,000+ fans in attendance. Cal started the day crushing Ohio St 38-0, dominating every phase of the game, and suffocating the Buckeyes. Utah stumbled early with a loss against Dartmouth but rebounded with wins against Notre Damn and Boston College. Arizona went 3-0 on day one with impressive wins over Temple, Oklahoma, and Texas. The Wildcats did not let an opponent score on them on day one.

OK vs. PSU

Cal vs. Ohio St.

Local teams did not fare as well as their west coast counter parts. Penn State advanced with lackluster wins over Ohio St and LSU (they also got their clocks cleaned by Cal 26-7). Temple couldn’t muster a win despite having an entire section held down by Owls  fans cheering for them. One of the best matches of day one was the Army vs Navy game; it was everything fans could have hoped for. Navy scored quickly early in the second half to take the lead before Army touched down a late try to steal the victory.

Army vs. Navy

ND vs. BC

DAY TWO:

Day two of the Collegiate Rugby Sevens Tournament started off with a major clash of rugby powerhouses. The defending champions of Utah took on Cal, the most dominate program in American history. Utah relied on its explosive speed and play making ability of Don Pati and the Lauti brothers to win 21-5. Central Washington University was the first team to put points on the board against a lighting fast Arizona squad. All it took was a single try for CWU to upset Arizona 5-0.

The semifinals kicked off with Army taking on Utah while the Dartmouth squad faced the Cinderella story of tourney, Central Washington. The major surprise of the semifinalists was that Utah stood alone with relative unknowns Army, CWU, and Dartmouth. Age, or better said, youth, was the major factor in the Utes loss to the boys from West Point. Tonata Lauti was sent off after a high late hit which gave Army a man advantage for two minutes. However, Army suffered the same fate and lost a player from a failure of releasing the ball in the ruck less than 5 meters from their own try line. Utah struck first but it was Army that struck often (surprisingly able to contain the fireworks of Don Pati and company).

Game two saw CWU face off against Dartmouth with impressive twins Chris and Nick Downer. The “Big Green” kept the pressure on from the first whistle with a fast Chris Downer try. CWU was able to answer with a try of their own but the joy was short lived as Dartmouth scored again and never let up, winning 24-12.

LSU vs. ND

Army Award

Dartmouth and Army faced of in what amounted to the Downer brother show. Nick provided big stops on defense and his twin brother showed his explosive  footwork to stump the Black Knights. The normal seven minute halves are ramped up to ten in the finals and the extra time seemed to magnify the wear and tear on the Army squad. The first half ended with Dartmouth clearly in control of the match, up 22-5. Army would only make the trip across the line once more in the second half and fell short of The Big Green 32-10.

Champs

The Collegiate Rugby Sevens will make its return to PPL Park in 2012, just a year before the Sevens World Cup. A majority of the players on the fields this weekend will represent the USA in the World Cup and at the 2016 Olympics.

[story and photos by Christian Hafer]

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Villanova Dukes It Out With James Madison To Earn The Wildcats A 14-7 Victory

Aaron Ball

On a picture-perfect day for football, the Villanova Wildcats hosted the Dukes of James Madison in a Colonial Athletic league homecoming contest on the Main Line. The Wildcats began the day with a record of 4- 2 after last week’s convincing win over the Maine Black Bears.

 

Flying Wildcats

Villanova Head Coach Andy Talley

Drew Dudzik Just Gets the Pass Away

The Dukes of James Madison came into the game with an identical 4 -2 record. Coached by Mickey Matthews, the Dukes started out their season 3- 0, including a 21 – 16 win over nationally ranked Virginia Tech of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Since then, the Dukes have posted a win over Towson and lost to league rivals Delaware (13- 10) and last weekend, to New Hampshire (28 -14). Matthews is the winningest coach in JMU history, and led the Dukes to an NCAA championship in 2004.

 

Ball Squared

Eric Loper Makes a Flippin Good Tackle

Chris Whitney Gets Hit as He Throws

After a scoreless first period , Villanova got on the scoreboard by driving 80 yards in 15 plays for a touchdown, which came on a 7 yard pass from Chris Whitney to Norman White. Nick Yako converted to make it 7 -0 . The drive featured two fourth down conversions. The first came on a fake punt by Dom Scarnecchia on 4th & 9 at mid-field. Scarnecchia scampered 23 yards for a first down to the JMU 27. Later in the drive , Whitney hit White on a 4th & 8 pass for a 13 yard gain to the JMU 12 yard line.

 

Touchdown Villanova!

Griff Yancey

Dorian Wells

A few minutes later, with 1:19 to go in the half, the Cats scored again on a 54 yard pass play from Whitney to Mikey Reynolds. The drive covered 71 yards in 4 plays.

 

Chris Whitney on the Run

Fred Maldonado

Drew Dudzik

Whitney finished the first half completing 13 of 17 pass attempts for 159 yards and the 2 touchdowns. White caught 7 passes for 73 yards and Reynolds caught 3 for 75 yards. Both teams missed a field goal in the first half which ended with the Cats on top 14-0.

 

JMU Touchdown

JMU's Griff Yancey

JMU came out in the second half and scored its lone touchdown on its first possession . The score came via a 2 yard run by Kavon Seaton. The Dukes drive took 9 plays to cover 73 yards. JMU totally dominated the third quarter holding onto the ball for 12 minutes; Villanova had the ball for only 6 plays during the third quarter.

 

Tough Yardage

QB Chris Whitney Scrambling Away From Defenders

In the 4th quarter Villanova threatened, driving 67 yards from their 28 yard line to the JMU 10 yard line. However Nick Yako missed for a second time on a 23 yard field goal try (wide left). Nova had another drive late in the fourth quarter to the JMU 2 yard line, but a Whitney fumble on 4th down and 1 was recovered by JMU.

 

James Pitts

Terence Thomas on the Tackle

On its last drive JMU drove into Villanova territory and as time expired  Drew Dudzik’s pass was intercepted by James Pitts in the Cats end zone to preserve the victory.

 

Kerby Long with the Reception

Scott Noble Carrying for JMU

The Cats gained 209 yards rushing on 47 carries.  Angelo Babbaro led the way with 72 yards on 13 carries. Aaron Ball chipped in 56 yards, also on 13 carries, becoming the second leading rusher in Villanova history behind  only the great Brian Westbrook. Lawrence Doss added 33 yards on 5 carries. Whitney, who did not complete a pass in the second half (0-2),  finished 13 of 19 for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Norman White had 7 receptions for 73 yards.  Linebacker Marquis Kirkland had 10 tackles to lead the defense.

 

JMU Gang Tackling

For the Dukes, who were held to 87 yards rushing on 32 carries, Scott Noble led the way gaining 39 yards on 14 carries. Drew Dudzik passed for 213 yards on 22 completions in 32 attempts, with the one pick by Pitts on the game- ending play.

Matt Szczur, still nursing an ankle injury, did not dress for the Wildcats.

 

Matt Szczur Did Not Dress

Villanova  next hosts the Richmond Spiders on Saturday, October 30th in another CAA conference match.

 

On the local front, Temple & Penn also posted wins. Temple shutting out Buffalo and the Quakers beating Yale.

 

 

Article by Stephen Miller 

{All photos credits for this article appear courtesy of Michael Green Photography: www.mpgreenphotography.com}

Before the football game the Villanova Men’s Basketball team held its Blue/White Scrimmage game for fans.

To see photos of the game, please follow this link:

http://independentphilly.com/photo-gallery/villanova-blue-white-basketball-scrimmage/