SMU Suffers 1st Loss
PHILADELPHIA — It took perfection to squelch perfection — and the nation’s longest winning streak — when Temple, behind senior guard Devin Coleman’s career-best 23 points on 8-for-8 shooting, upset No. 8 SMU 89-80 on Sunday afternoon at the Liacouras Center.
Temple snapped SMU’s 18-game winning streak, improving to 11-7 overall and 5-2 in the American Athletic Conference.
It marked the first time that SMU, which fell to 18-1 overall and 7-1 in the AAC, lost since a 60-59 loss to UCLA in the second round of last year’s NCAA Tournament on March 19, 2015. The last time SMU lost to an AAC opponent was to UConn, 81-73, on March 1, 2015.
“Devin was spectacular,” Temple coach Fran Dunphy said. “There was nothing cheap about any of the balls that went into the basket. They were dead in the hoop, each one. He was great and if you’re going to win a game like this, against this good of a basketball program, you’re going to have to get special performances, and his performance was certainly special. We had to weather the storm here today and they cut it to four, and we got ourselves back together again. That’s the important thing. It’s a great win for us.”
Coleman was a perfect 7-for-7 from 3-point range. His trey with 5:28 to play gave
the Owls their largest lead of the game, 78-59.
“They played great, they made shots, Coleman was out of his mind, and Dingle made two threes, they were just terrific tonight,” SMU coach Larry Brown said. “They were up 19, we cut it to nine and they turn it over twice and we didn’t make anything happen. I thought we had a chance to get back in the game.
“I have to give them credit. Can you believe Temple stormed the court after beating SMU? Oh my God, the fifth-winningest program in America (Temple) is beating this elitist school. It’s pretty amazing. I almost got hit. I never thought that would ever happen.”
Senior guard Quenton DeCosey scored 19 points and junior guard Daniel Dingle added 14 for the Owls.
SMU received balanced scoring, getting a game-high 19 from junior guard Sterling Brown, 15 from senior forward Jordan Tolbert and 13 from junior forward Ben Moore.
Three-point shooting was the difference. The Owls nailed 14 of 29 from 3-point range, offsetting SMU’s 38-31 edge in rebounds.
Temple took a 44-34 lead into halftime — built off exceptional 3-point shooting, especially late in the half. The Owls turned a 32-31 edge into a double-figure lead hitting 3-pointers on four-straight trips.
Coleman was 4-for-4 from beyond the arc in the half, and it was the Clemson transfer from nearby Friends Central that started the Owls’ 3-point parade. Coleman led all scorers with 12 points at halftime, and the Owls made 8-of-18 3-pointers in the half.
Dingle followed with a pair of 3-pointers of his own, upping Temple’s lead to 44-34 with 30 seconds left in the half.
SMU was sloppy in the first half with the ball. The Mustangs didn’t help itself with eight turnovers over the first 20 minutes, which Temple converted into 12 points. The Mustangs did outrebound Temple 22-18 in the half and were led by senior guard Nic Moore’s eight points. SMU’s last lead was 14-13 with 11:15 in the first half on a layup from Tolbert.
“We wanted to come out and play for each other this year, it wasn’t that important that we went undefeated,” said SMU senior center Markus Kennedy, who is from the Philadelphia area. “I personally didn’t play my best, but our team played great. It was always great being home, and I wish I could have played better for them.
“The snow stopped me from seeing my mom and getting my haircut. I was kind of stuck at the hotel. It was always good to see my family. We still have a goal of winning the conference. To end the season still with one loss is pretty good.”
