24 hours after they were originally scheduled to meet, Temple and eighth-ranked SMU took the court at the Liacouras Center Sunday afternoon in front of a small audience that braved the snow to take in the game.
Those who showed up were treated to a special performance.
While the Mustangs entered the day a perfect 18-0, Devin Coleman’s shooting would be the only thing flawless when time expired. The senior scored a career-high 23 points on a perfect 8-for-8 shooting performance, including seven three-pointers, to help the Owls pick up an 89-80 win.
“It was spectacular,” Temple Coach Fran Dunphy said of Coleman’s performance. “There was nothing cheap about any of the balls that went in the basket. They were dead in the hoop, each one of them, including the bank early in the second half, which helped us. He was great. If you’re going to win a game like this against this good of a basketball team and program, you’re going to have to get special performances and certainly his was special.”
Those who showed up were treated to a special performance.
While the Mustangs entered the day a perfect 18-0, Devin Coleman’s shooting would be the only thing flawless when time expired. The senior scored a career-high 23 points on a perfect 8-for-8 shooting performance, including seven three-pointers, to help the Owls pick up an 89-80 win.
“It was spectacular,” Temple Coach Fran Dunphy said of Coleman’s performance. “There was nothing cheap about any of the balls that went in the basket. They were dead in the hoop, each one of them, including the bank early in the second half, which helped us. He was great. If you’re going to win a game like this against this good of a basketball team and program, you’re going to have to get special performances and certainly his was special.”
After falling behind by four in the opening minutes, Temple turned up the pressure, taking a 16-14 lead on Coleman’s first three of the afternoon.
Coleman would connect on back-to-back three-pointers with the half winding down to give the Owls a 38-31 lead. Daniel Dingle would then hit two threes of his own in the final 1:18 of the half to send Temple to the break with a 44-34 lead.
Coleman continued to knock down long-range shots in the second half, hitting his seventh three-pointer of the afternoon to give the Owls a 78-59 advantage.
SMU would not be done quite yet, however, responding to Coleman’s three with a 10-0 run to cut Temple’s lead to single digits.
“Basically, he (Dunphy) said ‘all good teams make a run. They made their run, so it’s time for us to focus and go on another run of our own,’” Coleman said.
Temple would do just that, weathering the storm and refocusing on its way to an 89-80 win over SMU.
Coleman led all scorers on the day, tallying 23 points on a perfect 8-for-8 shooting performance that included seven three-pointers.
“When I thought I had an open look, I just put it up there and it went in,” Coleman said of his performance.
Coleman would be joined in double-figures by Dingle and Quenton DeCosey, who added 14 and 19 points, respectively.
With the win – Temple’s third against a ranked opponent this season – the Owls improved to 11-7 on the season and 5-2 in conference play.
“I think it does a lot for our resume,” DeCosey said. “They were ranked top 10. It’s the third ranked team we’ve beaten, so I think it does a lot for our resume and shows people that we can compete with anybody.”
Next up for Temple is a visit to East Carolina on Wednesday, as the Owls look pick up their fourth straight win.
By: Kyle Babcock
Follow us on Twitter: @BroadStBeat
Coleman would connect on back-to-back three-pointers with the half winding down to give the Owls a 38-31 lead. Daniel Dingle would then hit two threes of his own in the final 1:18 of the half to send Temple to the break with a 44-34 lead.
Coleman continued to knock down long-range shots in the second half, hitting his seventh three-pointer of the afternoon to give the Owls a 78-59 advantage.
SMU would not be done quite yet, however, responding to Coleman’s three with a 10-0 run to cut Temple’s lead to single digits.
“Basically, he (Dunphy) said ‘all good teams make a run. They made their run, so it’s time for us to focus and go on another run of our own,’” Coleman said.
Temple would do just that, weathering the storm and refocusing on its way to an 89-80 win over SMU.
Coleman led all scorers on the day, tallying 23 points on a perfect 8-for-8 shooting performance that included seven three-pointers.
“When I thought I had an open look, I just put it up there and it went in,” Coleman said of his performance.
Coleman would be joined in double-figures by Dingle and Quenton DeCosey, who added 14 and 19 points, respectively.
With the win – Temple’s third against a ranked opponent this season – the Owls improved to 11-7 on the season and 5-2 in conference play.
“I think it does a lot for our resume,” DeCosey said. “They were ranked top 10. It’s the third ranked team we’ve beaten, so I think it does a lot for our resume and shows people that we can compete with anybody.”
Next up for Temple is a visit to East Carolina on Wednesday, as the Owls look pick up their fourth straight win.
By: Kyle Babcock
Follow us on Twitter: @BroadStBeat
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