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'D' it up Temple smothers Penn State, reaches Elite Eight
Updated: Saturday March 24, 2001 3:27 PM
ATLANTA (AP) -- John Chaney is taking his rumpled shirt, his loosened tie and that vexing defense to the cusp of the Final Four again. Chaney's Temple Owls, led by 21 points from Lynn Greer and a defense that left Penn State looking helpless, advanced to the South Regional final with an 84-72 victory Friday night. Temple (24-12) made its fifth regional final in Chaney's 19 years at the school based in the hardscrabble streets of north Philly, but the 69-year-old coach is still seeking his first trip to the Final Four. On Sunday, the Owls will play defending national champion Michigan State, a 77-62 winner over Gonzaga. As an 11th seed with just a seven-man rotation, Temple came into the tournament looking like an underdog, yet nobody has been more dominating and perplexing over the last two weeks. The Owls have won their games by an average of 15 points. They built an 18-point halftime lead in this one and -- just like last week against Texas and Florida -- the second half was mostly a matter of running out the clock. Jon Crispin hit a 3-pointer to pull the Nittany Lions within 10 with three minutes remaining, but the Owls made 12 of 14 free throws down the stretch to ice the game. They shot 26-for-30 from the line.
Thus ended a nice run for the seventh-seeded Nittany Lions (21-12), who struggled on the big stage that the Penn State football program is more accustomed to. Joe Paterno, Franco Harris and a host of gridiron greats watched from the stands, drawing more applause from Penn State fans as they took their seats than almost anything the basketball team did over a flustering 40 minutes. "Stick to football," the small contingent of Temple fans chanted, as the second half wore on. Temple put this game away by outscoring the Lions 22-5 over the last 11 1/2 minutes of the first half. The matchup zone made Penn State miserable, as guards Crispin and Titus Ivory struggled to find holes to dribble or pass through. Temple allowed only one basket -- a tip-in by Gyasi Cline-Heard -- over the final 11 minutes of the half, and Penn State settled for a series of rushed 3-pointers, a few of which barely drew iron. Crispin, who averaged 17 points in leading Penn State this far, was barely a factor, making just four shots and finishing with 12 points. His brother Jon had six points on 2-for-10 shooting. Ivory led Penn State with 20 points. The Lions thought a few extra days to prepare, combined with their 66-60 victory over Temple in December, might help them decipher the zone. It didn't work out that way; they shot 41 percent and hit 13 of 33 3-pointers. Temple's offense isn't bad either. Greer, the leader of Temple's four-guard lineup, went 10-for-10 from the free-throw line to improve to 49-for-50 this postseason. Reserve Greg Jefferson had a career-high 15 points, and center Kevin Lyde was a presence inside, with 13 points and 13 rebounds. The efficiency kept the normally demonstrative Chaney sitting placidly, except for during Penn State's brief rally late in the second half. But this was never really a sweat -- Temple kept its lead in double digits over the final 27 minutes. It was Temple's 10th straight victory, a feat almost unthinkable back in December, when it lost seven straight and nearly saw the season disintegrate with injuries and the departure of two players who were expected to play key roles.
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