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NEW YORK (Ticker) -- David Hawkins did not let the stigma of the consolation game affect his game. Hawkins scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half to lift Temple to a 65-54 victory over Syracuse and third place at the National Invitation Tournament. Temple (19-15) again played without leading scorer Lynn Greer, who sat out the final three games of his season with a high ankle sprain. The Owls also played most of the game without starting forward Kevin Lyde, who injured his left knee and did not return after playing nine minutes in the first half. "We started as a broken team and we finished tonight a broken team," Temple coach John Chaney said. "I had a bunch of also-rans out there." Hawkins picked up the slack with a terrific second half. His 3-pointer with 14 minutes remaining gave the Owls the lead for good and came in the midst of a 15-0 run that built a 41-30 advantage. Ron Rollerson made four free throws and Hawkins added a pair in the burst. Syracuse (23-13) charged back with eight straight points, including a 3-pointer by DeShaun Williams that trimmed the deficit to 41-38. A tip-in by Preston Shumpert pulled the Orangemen within 48-44 with 7:42 remaining. Hawkins answered with six straight points for a 54-44 cushion. The 6-4 sophomore guard was 10-of-13 from the foul line and added six rebounds and three steals. Greg Jefferson scored 14 points and Rollerson added 10 for Temple, which snapped a four-game losing streak at Madison Square Garden. The Owls lost a pair of games in the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament this season and Tuesday's semifinal contest with Memphis. Shumpert scored 21 points but did a disappearing act for the first 10 minutes of the second half, managing just three points. Williams finished with 14 points for Syracuse, which shot just 37.5 percent (21-of-56). "We played a little bit better defense than they did," Chaney said. "I think our defense worked to force them to take bad shots, to make bad passes and take them away from what they normally do." Freshman Hakim Warrick, a Philadelphia native, turned in an up-and-down effort against one of the hometown schools that recruited him. He scored 12 points but was a woeful 2-of-12 from the free-throw line. Wiliams and Kueth Duany combined to make just 7-of-24 shots. "I am very disappointed in the way we played offensively in the last part of the year," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "Your defense can only do so much." The first half was a dismal affair between two teams that were going through the motions. While Syracuse displayed little energy, the Owls initially tried to resemble a competent, cohesive unit. However, Syracuse's lethargy seemed to rub off on the Owls. In one sequence, Rollerson airballed from one side of the basket, Jefferson picked up the loose ball and tossed up an airball from the other side. Also, reserve guard Hawley Smith checked in for the wrong player late in the half and Temple subsequently committed a backcourt violation. The game also pitted a Hall of Fame coach in Chaney and a future Hall of Famer in Boeheim. Chaney improved to 1-1 lifetime against Boeheim as the teams met for the first time since December 2, 1989. |
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