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NEW ORLEANS (Ticker) -- A big start by Quincy Wadley led Temple to a big victory in the Big Easy. Wadley opened the contest with two 3-pointers and scored 13 points in the first seven minutes to propel Temple to a relatively easy 79-65 victory over Texas in an opening-round game of the NCAA Tournament's South Region at the Superdome. An all-Atlantic 10 Conference performer, Wadley, a 6-4 senior, finished with 26 points. His 3-pointer from the left wing with 11:20 to play in the first half gave the Owls (22-12) a 21-8 lead and Temple remained in control throughout. "I don't really know what their plan was to do," Wadley said. "But I do know that they kind of got us off our offensive rhythm when they were jumping and flying. After that we just wanted to protect the ball and let them keep doing what they were doing and we just kept passing the ball around until we got open shots." The 10th-seeded Owls, who made a surprising run to the Atlantic 10 title after a sub-par regular season, is in the NCAA Tournament for the 12th straight season and will face Florida in the second round on Sunday. "I never thought we would get here," Temple coach John Chaney said. "We have a long way to go." Wadley was 9-of-15 from the field and made five 3-pointers while also contributing six rebounds for the Owls, who held a 21-7 advantage at the foul line and finished at 46 percent (24-of-52) from the field. Lynn Greer scored 19 points and three others were in double figures for Temple, who committed a season low-tying four turnovers and won a first-round game for the third straight season. "We all know that if we pass the ball and everybody is in the proper spaces and makes good passes and takes good shots, we are not going to turn the ball over," Greer said. "We played that way all year except for a couple of games. So we are going to have to do that." Chris Owens and Darren Kelly had 15 points apiece for Texas (25-9), which trailed, 41-22, at the break -- its largest halftime deficit of the season -- following an off-balance 3-pointer at the buzzer by Wadley. "Temple had a great first half," Texas coach Rick Barnes said. "They made some tough shots. The last shot of the first hafl was indicative of the shots they were making. We had a chance to make some shots but we didn't." The Longhorns, who committed only seven turnovers but shot 39 percent (26-of-66) against Temple's famed match-up zone, were eliminated in the first round for the second time in three seasons. "This time of year, every team is coming playing," said Kelly. "The way they shot in the first half kind of took the air out of the younger guys. In the first half, it showed a bit, but in the second half, we came out and played." Texas made five 3-pointers and outscored Temple, 43-38, over the final 20 minutes, but they were never able to make a serious run at the Owls, won despite being outrebounded, 39-36. "When we shoot the ball well, like we did today, it cures a lot of ills," said Chaney. "I think we were able to get them frustrated." The all-time series between the schools is tied at two wins apiece. It was the third time this season that Texas and Temple were in the same building on the same day, but the first meeting between them. They were both members of the Preseason NIT final four in New York's Madison Square Garden in November. |
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