It was 10 years in the making.
So you couldn’t blame exorberant Temple fans for storming the court following the Owls’ 68- 64 victory over mighty Big 5 rival Villanova Friday night for the first time since 2013 in a game played at the Liacoras Center.
They enjoyed it so much, they got to do it twice.
Guard Damien Dunn actually won the game when he drew a foul on a driving layp with 1.1 seconds to play and broke a 64-64 tie by making the first of two free throws. Villanova attempted to ice Dunn, who had made 18 of 18 free throws in the Owls’ opening game loss to Wagner. Temple security guards lined the court in anticipation of the wild celebration.
Dunn drained the second. Villanova called timeout to set up a final play. But Temple sophomore forward Zach Hicks intercepted the inbounds pass with 0.2 seconds to play and Temple undergrads swarmed floor before the PA announcer ordered them off the floor after a foul was called on Villanova’s Eric Dixon. Hicks went to the line and calmly converted two shots and the fans did an encore, sprinting onto the floor again.
It’s nice to know there is still a chance for other schools in the city to compete against the Cats, who have dominated this city series since 2014. It’s just a shame this classic wasnt played at the sainted Palestra.
“Temple was one of the big-time programs,” Temple guard Khalif Battle said. “We’re just trying to bring it back to that. It was a big deal.”
Guard Caleb Daniels led Villanova (1-1) with 19 points and Dixon had 18.. But the Cats, who averaged 26.3 three point attempts last year, shot just 2 for 7 against Temple, who stuck with the wing shooters, denying them shots from behind the arc and forcing Nova to work the ball inside with mixed results.
“They did a good job taking away something we like to do,” Villanova first year coach Kyle Neptune said.
The Owls are a young team with five sophomore starters and a sophomore sixth man playing in an undervalued American Athletic Conference with Final Four contende Houston and regional powers Memphis and Cincinnati. Dunn, who finished with 22 points, and Battle, who missed most of last season with a broken foot, had 21, are both rising stars. Center Jamille Reynolds, a transfer from Central Florida, offers a legtimate big man who is a potential double figure scorer and rebounder so the future is bright.
Villanova promises to look like a diferent team once 6-6 forward Cam Whitmore, the MVP of the McDonald’s game and a one-and-done lottery pick, comes back from thumb surgery at the end of the month. And the Cats could make another dent in March if veteran guard Justin Moore, a potential NBA player, comes back from a torn achilles by February.
But the Cats’ future is more murky after Caleb Daniels, Brandon Slater, Whitemore and Moore move on after the season, as expected. The 6-8 Dixon and Jordan Longino are talents who are both expected to return but the Cats have yet to sign a player in the early signing period, leaving them to rebuild in the Big East with freshman guard Mark Armstrong and little else .
