When the game is over, Temple fans rush onto the court and are ushered off with 0.2 seconds remaining. There is a time and a place for it.
The Temple students had mobbed the court in celebration of one of the program's wildest wins in years.
There is a single problem.
There were ticks on the clock.
It had been a long time since the Owls knocked off a big team. There is a few more seconds.
Battle said it felt like the party was starting. They had to shoot with.2 seconds to spare. I remove my hat when you do that. We won, but.
The Owls' fans went into a court-storming frenzy -- twice!
The 14 lead changes in the second half made this a classic. The Palestra was nowhere to be found.
Battle said that Temple was a big time program. We're trying to get it back to that. Return our name to us. It was a significant event.
A timeout was called to ice the sophomore guard after he sank the first of his two free throws. Temple security guards lined the court in anticipation of the chaos that would come.
Hundreds of fans immediately swarmed the court after Temple'sZach Hicks intercepted the in-bound pass. Fans were told to clear the court even though 0.0 remained on the board.
Hundreds of Temple students crammed behind the other basket ready to sprint out again after a foul was called on Eric Dixon, who went to the free- throw line with 0.2 on the clock.
One last timeout was called by Villanova. The Temple players tried to keep the peace on the court. Temple Court Storm, Take 2 was the winner.
In four seasons on the bench, the Temple coach earned his signature victory. The Owls beat a ranked team for the first time in over a year.
The college energy that these kids go play college basketball for is great for the players.
The Owls scored 22 points and had two players in double figures.
Daniel had 19 points andDixon had 18. The team averaged 26 3-point attempts per game, but only shot 2 of 7 against Temple. The Owls tried to deny shots on the perimeter and forced the Cats to try passes into the paint.
Kyle Neptune said that they took away something they like to do.
The rivalry games between Saint Joseph's, La Salle, Penn and Temple have been going on for more than 60 years. The Big 5 lost its shine over the last decade as the Wildcats became a national power.
This was the first meeting between the teams since the Pandemic wiped out the annual contest. Fran Dunphy was the coach when the Owls won in the series. In the seven-game series, Villanova had won by an average of eighteen points.
The Owls were fired up for the win.
Battle, who missed most of last season with a broken foot, hit a 3 and converted a four-point play in a row to help his team take a 24-11 lead. The Temple fans were loud.
The Cats were off their game in Neptune's second game. The team closed on an 11-5 run.
Friday's result was the earliest that Villanova has lost a game this season. The same thing happened in the second game of the 1994-95 and 1988-89 seasons.
The Big East's preseason freshman of the year was out because of a thumb injury.
Fans ignored the pleas and danced and took selfies with Hooter after the horn.
The AP contributed to the report.
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