Temple's Khalif Wyatt couldn't stop smiling. With the Owls up 12 points with just under a minute to play, he knew it was over.
Although Temple left the Palestra with a 73-60 win over the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday, it was Wyatt's smile, and not the final score, that reflected the true tone of the game. After all, when Temple saw a 12-point second half lead dissolve to just one four minutes prior, the look on the junior guard's face was anything but celebratory.
Instead, it was a look of determination, a look of confidence.
"I think we've been in plenty of tough situations though the past year," Temple senior guard Ramone Moore said after the game. "So it was something we're accustomed to."
It was ultimately that kind of veteran cool from Moore, Wyatt and senior guard Juan Fernandez that would help the Owls withstand a late Maryland run that could have cost them the game.
After an 8-0 second-half run pushed the lead to a dozen, Temple saw it disintegrate to just a single point on two separate occasions with less than 10 minutes remaining. When Maryland's Terrell Stoglin, who tied Wyatt and Moore with a game-high 20 points, hit a jumper to make it 57-56 with 5:26 left, Temples Big Three of Moore, Wyatt and Fernandez closed the game for the Owls.
On three straight possessions, each member of the trio would drain a three-pointer to extend the lead to seven and put Maryland away.
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"They just had three kids out there who hit three straight threes," Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said of the stretch. "You've got to give them credit. I thought they had a little but more gumption at the end than we did. And will, too. You know, they've been there. They know what it's like to take part in an NCAA tournament, and it showed.
"And those guys areso smart with the basketball," Turgeon continued, echoing the words of Villanova coach Jay Wright when Temple defeated his team earlier this season. "Their basketball IQ is off the charts."
By the end, Wyatt, Moore and Fernandez had combined for not only 54 points but also 13 of Temple's 20 assists.
"I appreciate the comments that both of those coaches made, and I would agree with them" Temple head coach Fran Dunphy said. "Their basketball IQs are as good as any anybody I've had an opportunity to coach over the years. And I've coached some really good players, and really good guards, and I think those three guys are as good as anybody I've coached."
It's been those three guards who have had to carry Temple through two especially difficult injuries this season. Would-be senior Scootie Randall (torn meniscus) has been out all season and will miss the rest as a medical redshirt. Under the basket, the Owls have been without senior Micheal Eric for the last eight weeks after the 6-foot-10 center reinjured the same patella that ended his junior season last February.
Though Eric was finally able to make his return to the Temple rotation against the Terrapins (see story) on Saturdayto the very audible delight of the Temple fanshe did so in a very limited role. Indeed, as Temple continues to ease its big man back into form, the Owls will continue to play small, thereby creating substantial matchup problems for their opponents.
"They're hard to guard," Turgeon said. "They go with that small lineup of Aaron Brown, and they put him in the corner, and you got Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson, and that's hard to guard. They've got so many guys that are just so good with the ball. They're just so smart.
"I had to go small."
Turgeon isn't the first to make such a comment about matching up with Temple. Both Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and the aforementioned Wright have fallen into that same trap this season.
In Turgeon's case, a first half ankle injury to 7-foot-1 center Alex Len only quickened his decision. Len did not see the floor in the second half. Turgeon characterized the ankle as "twisted" and could not offer any update on the freshman's condition. Though Len's injury, if serious, could be a blow to the Terps moving forward, Turgeon ultimately conceded that he would have had very little choice but to match Temple guard for guard with or without him.
The fourth guard to score in double figures was the 6-foot-5 Brown, who finished with 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting and also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
We're asking AB to do something that he's not used to, sometimes playing power forward, Fernandez said. But, you know, he has the advantage. He gets open shots because big men can't get out there to him."
Fernandez, who entered the game in a 5-for-26 shooting slump of his last three games, hit 5 of 8 from the floor, including 3 of 3 from three.
"It's really thanks to my teammates, Fernandez said. I'm trying to let the team play and let the game come a little bit. That's the way to approach it when you're struggling. But these two guys (Wyatt and Moore) are scoring like crazy, so I'm trying to look for them first."
Notes
Temple guard Khalif Wyatt scored 20 points for the fifth time in his last six games.The win is Temple's second over an ACC opponent this season.The first came to then-No. 3 Duke on Jan. 4.Saturday's game at the Palestra was the second game of a two-game neutral site agreement between the Owls and Terrapins.Despite the morning snow, the game was a sellout. A significant number of Maryland fans were in attendance.Next up for Temple is a road game against Charlotte on Wednesday.
E-mail Nick Menta at cnmenta@gmail.com