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CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Gonzaga's answer to the matchup zone was to shoot over it. There was just one problem. The Bulldogs were a miserable 6-of-37 from 3-point range in a 64-48 loss to 18th-ranked Temple in a Great Eight contest. "We consistently shot ourselves in the foot by missing so many open shots," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "Obviously, I'm very disappointed in our performance. This wasn't a typical Gonzaga-like performance." Despite its shooting struggles, Gonzaga (4-2), which went 4-of-13 from the foul line, was within 53-45 with 3 1/2 minutes left after a layup by Richie Frahm. But Mark Karcher, who scored 19 points, drained a 3-pointer to ignite a 9-0 run as Temple (3-2) pulled away. Gonzaga shot 31 percent (19-of-62) overall. "That's one of the better teams that we've played and one of the most difficult teams that we've played," Temple coach John Chaney said. "That's a game we should not have won. They don't usually miss foul shots like that and they don't normally miss easy shots that they missed tonight." Karcher also had five rebounds and Lynn Greer netted 14 points for the Owls, who snapped a two-game losing streak despite playing without point guard Pepe Sanchez, who remains sidelined with a right ankle sprain. "It's been tough for us because Pepe is our leader and a lot of guys on the team feed off him on offense and defense," Karcher said. "He's a key part of our team so I can't wait until he gets back." Casey Calvary had 14 points and Frahm contributed 13 for Gonzaga, which has lost two in a row after opening the season with four victories. The Bulldogs went 2-of-19 from beyond the arc and shot 23.5 percent (8-of-34) from the field in the second half, when they scored only 21 points after trailing by eight at intermission. Temple took control in the opening moments after the break. Matt Santangelo, who was held to 12 points, opened the second-half scoring with a jumper, but Temple got eight of the next 11 points. "We got good looks, but we didn't step up and knock down the shots that we needed to," Santangelo said. Greer had a steal and layup before Frahm drained a 3-pointer. But Lamont Barnes hit a jumper, Quincy Wadley converted a layup and Kevin Lyde scored with a hook shot to give the Owls a 37-26 advantage with 15:40 to play. Frahm's 3-pointer with 3:30 to play capped a 6-2 Gonzaga run, but Karcher answered, Barnes and Greer each made two free throws and Karcher capped the 9-0 spurt with a layup that made it 62-45 in the final minute. "I just wanted to come out and slow things down, take over the floor from the beginning and try to get the ball down low to Lamont and Kevin, take good shots and not force hard shots," said Karcher. Temple went 8-of-8 from the line and finished at 42 percent (25-of-60) from the field, including 6-of-17 on 3-pointers. A layup by Frahm ended a nearly three-minute drought for the Bulldogs but came way too late. Barnes had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Owls, who were constantly outhustled and were outrebounded, 45-37. "I do feel that in a great tournament like this, they're going to benefit in the long run," Chaney said. "We've done it every year that I've been at Temple. Win or lose, games like this will help them in the long run." This was the first meeting between the schools.
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