Just Short: Temple 68, Georgetown 65

Georgetown trailed nearly from wire to wire Thursday night, tying Temple just once as the Owls held on for a 68-65 victory. Georgetown fell behind early, with Temple stretching its lead to double figures at multiple points in the first half. The Hoyas chipped away, though, eventually tying the game at 56 on the strength of four straight points from Chris Wright. But Ramone Moore, who finished with a career-high 30 points, responded with a clutch 3, pushing the Owls back in front. Still, Georgetown had the chance to win in the waning seconds, trailing by one with the ball, but Hollis Thompson’s rushed, leaning drive fell short, and two Owl free throws iced the victory.

The loss is the Hoyas’ first in the young season. Some of Georgetown’s problems were familiar: they surrendered 15 turnovers while forcing just 11. But others, such as Georgetown’s 43.8 field goal percentage, were new for a previously hot Hoya team. Each of the Hoya starters took some share of the blame. Julian Vaughn had 14 points and 8 rebounds, but shot just 3 of 9 from the field and had 3 turnovers. Jason Clark had an efficient shooting night, leading the Hoyas with 15 points on just 7 shots, but also committed 4 tunrovers. Austin Freeman, although scoring 14 points, missed 9 of 15 shots and committed 3 turnovers. And Chris Wright, while leading much of the failed comeback, was off on his shot, missing all three of his three-pointers. Ultimately, the Hoyas could not overcome an opponent’s career night and pesky defense before a raucous and hostile crowd.  Here are others’ thoughts:

• Washington Post – ”There were many, many teachable moments that we’ll learn from,” Thompson said, squeezing a magic marker tight, forcefully clicking the top on and off. “In the long run, we will learn. We will get better. We will not make the same mistake and be in a position where we have to come back.”
• Casual Hoya – We failed, a loss is a loss, and it sucks. We know what this team is capable of, and they played their butts off tonight in defeat. There are holes, but it is December. We got eaten up inside, couldn’t come up with crucial shots at the end of the game, and didn’t run our offense well at all. But it is December. And losses happen. The beauty of college basketball is that one game doesn’t end a season, and this is a good learning experience for a veteran team. I guarantee you Hollis Thompson didn’t take that last shot thinking “I need to be the man.” He took it because he has confidence in himself, and his teammates have confidence in him. He learned a hard lesson – when the game is on the line Wright, Freeman or Jason Clark have to have the ball.
• Associated Press – The victory was No. 400 for coach Fran Dunphy. Dunphy, who previously coached at Penn, is the second Big 5 coach to reach 400. His predecessor, Hall of Fame coach John Chaney, had 516 wins in 24 years at Temple. “It’s all about these guys,” Dunphy said. “They’re all great players and great people.”
• Philadelphia Inquirer- But in true Dunphy fashion, the Owls’ coach downplayed the accomplishment. He was more impressed that Temple (6-2) beat Georgetown (8-1). Owls fans stormed the court at the finish. “I don’t think it really matters much what the number is,” Dunphy said. “The fact is that these kids came together tonight and beat a really good basketball team, that’s what matters. . . . I’d really rather think about what these kids went through to get this victory.”

Georgetown returns to action Sunday when the Hoyas host Appalachian State at the Verizon Center. That game can be seen on ESPNU. Check back later today for a commentary on Sunday’s debut of Moses Ayegba and tomorrow for a preview of Sunday’s game.