Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
No. 1 ’Nova defeats Temple 83-67
PHILADELPHIA >> Temple’s students lined up five deep outside the Liacouras Center late Wednesday afternoon with the hope of seeing a miracle.
Instead, they were a witness to Big 5 history.
With Jalen Brunson — the son of Temple great Rick Brunson — leading the way, top-ranked Villanova marched into the City Series record book with an 83-67 victory over the Owls in front of 10,472 onlookers, the largest crowd to see a basketball at the Liacouras Center, which only seemed fitting.
TheWildcats (23-3 overall, 4-0 Big 5) became the first team in the 61year history of the city series history to win three straight outright Big 5 titles in the full round-robin format. Temple did win five straight in the 1990s, but that was during the period when teams only played two city series games.
The victory also extended Villanova’s Big 5 winning streak to a recordtying 14 games. TheWildcats also won 14 in a row from 2004-05 to 2007-08.
“We’re proud of playing in the Big 5,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “And we’re proud when we win the Big 5 because we know how special it is in this city.” Yet there was little time for celebration. With Butler at home Saturday, and road games at Xavier andMarquette next week, the Wildcats (23-3 overall, 4-0 Big 5) have little time to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
That will come later, after the season, when the Wildcats will have more time to reflect.
“Winning the Big 5 title means a lot because we understand the importance of it and the history,” center Daniel Ochefu said. “But it’s really tough to enjoy it or dwell on it now because we’re in the middle of our season. We’ve got a lot of games to play.”
It’s hard to imagine Brunson having a better game than he did against his parents’ alma mater Wednesday night. The 6-2 freshman guard was an upset-killing assassin. He connected on 9 of 11 shots from the field, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range. Brunson poured in a career-high 25 points and almost single-handedly took the hostile crowd out of the game.
“It felt great, but at the same time I was playing for my teammates, not the crowd,” Brunson said. “They were excited for me and I justhad to try to keep making the right plays at the right time.” He did. “He seized the moment,” Temple coach Fran Dunphy said. “And nothing he got was cheap. Every one of his nine baskets seemed to come at the rightmoment.”
Brunson played with a poise that belied his freshman status. He was cool, real cool, which was no surprise to his teammates or the coaching staff.
“He’s played in big situations before,” center Daniel Ochefu said.
Ochefu came up big, too, for the third straight game. The 6-11 center collected 16 points and nine rebounds. Junior Kris Jenkins added 15 points and four assists, while Phil Boothchipped in with 12 points off the bench.
It was Brunson and Booth who got the Wildcats going in the first half. With Temple concentrating its defense on senior Ryan Arcidiacono and junior Josh Hart, that left Brunson and Booth free to make plays and they did. They triggered a 2510 burst over a 10-minute stretch in the first half that turned a 9-8 deficit into a 33-19 advantage.
“I think they have a terrific team,” Dunphy said of the Wildcats. “They have few weaknesses.”
Wright may not agree with that statement, especially the way Trey Lowe went off in the second half. The 6-6 freshman guard put on quite a show as the Owls whittled a 23-point deficit to 11 before the comeback ran out of steam.
Lowe hit five 3-point field goals and scored all of his team-high 21 points in the second half.
“He’s a great scorer,” Wright said. “Once he gets it going, he can be tough.”
Obi Enechionyia added 15 points. Josh Brown scored 13 points, even though he did not start because of disciplinary reasons. Quenton DeCosey pitched in with 10 points.
Yet that wasn’t enough to keep Villanova from its date with destiny. Asmuch as the Temple student body wanted to see the Owls knock off the consensus No. 1 team in the country, it wasn’t going to happen.
This night belonged to the Wildcats, one that will mean much more after the season and years from now than it does at the moment.
“You don’t have time during the season to enjoy it because you’re worrying about the next game,” Wright said. “It’s the kind of game you appreciate in the summer when you have a chance to look back on it and believe me we’re going to appreciate it because we know the history of the Big 5 and it’s a big deal when you can win the Big 5 championship.”