For the third time this season Temple has defeated a top 25 team. And for the 7th time in the past 8 seasons they have defeated a top 10 opponent. Temple’s 89-80 victory would put an end to Southern Methodist University’s undefeated season, they were previously the only undefeated remaining team in the country.
Devin Coleman was “…spectacular…if you’re going to get special wins, you’re going to need special performances.” Coach Fran Dunphy, graciously describes Devin Coleman’s perfect night. He not only set a new career high of 23 points, but went 100% from the field. Seven of his field goal attempts were also from behind the arc. SMU head coach, Larry Brown, knew they were in trouble with Coleman. He says, “Once he got it going, he was unstoppable.” Devin Coleman was not the only one sinking 3s for the Owls. The team shot 48% from the 3 and 46% from the field.
Temple overcame adversity in more way than just beating a team with a better record, they took the court without senior caption, Jaylen Bond. Bond has been suffering from lower back pains and did not play for the Owls. Thus forcing other players to step up. Senior, Devontae Watson, received some quality minutes that he has not seen in several games. Dunphy let the guards take control of the game for the most part, Dunphy as well as senior Devin Coleman believe the bigs “…did great.”
The first half was back and forth, but the Owls went on a run to give them a comfortable 10- point lead heading into the half. The rest is history. Besides a small run by SMU in the second half that would cut the lead to 4, Temple bounced back with a 3 by Josh Brown. Dunphy assured his team in a timeout “All good teams will make their run and they did, now it’s our turn to run it home.” and that they did. The fans congratulated the team by storming the court. Fans, coaches, and players shared this victory together. Senior Quenton DeCosey says that of all the upsets he has been apart of, this one is his favorite. DeCosey felt that he was really able to contribute in this game and that, “…it shows that we can compete with anyone.”
Temple defeated the Mustangs 89-80. The Owls are now 5-2 in the AAC and 11-7 overall. The Owls will be back in action Wednesday, January 27th at 7:00.
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