Temple edges Penn State in NCAA thriller

TUCSON, Ariz. - Temple has been known for its good players and not-so-good NCAA tournament experiences. Fran Dunphy? Great coach. Disheartening tourney losses.

Well, Juan Fernandez did plenty Thursday to change those perceptions once and for all.

The point guard's jumper with 0.4 seconds left gave Temple a 66-64 victory over Penn State in a second-round West Regional game at the McKale Center.

The seventh-seeded Owls (26-7) advanced to Saturday's third-round matchup against second-seed San Diego State, a 68-50 winner over 15th-seeded Northern Colorado.

"So nice to see Juan make that shot," Dunphy said. "I had a good feeling when it left his hands that I thought it was going to go in. Might have been our time. That's all, just our time."

The victory marked the Owls' first win in four consecutive tourney appearances.

In the process, Dunphy snapped an 11-game tournament losing streak that dated to his 17 seasons at Penn. The Drexel Hill native, in his fifth season at Temple, now has a 2-12 tournament record.

"I told the guys during one stretch of the game, 'We worked hard all winter, all summer, and all fall before the season started. Why not win it for ourselves, you know?' " junior guard Ramone Moore said. "The talk has always been about Coach Dunphy.

"We knew coming into the game, we wanted to do it for Coach Dunphy. But we also wanted to win it for ourselves."

And the long-awaited victory was nothing short of thrilling.

Senior guard Talor Battle's 28-foot three-pointer enabled the 10th-seeded Nittany Lions (19-15) to tie the score at 64 with 16 seconds remaining.

During a timeout five seconds later, Temple reserve guard Khalif Wyatt told Dunphy the team needed to put the ball in Fernandez's hands. And if Fernandez couldn't score, Wyatt suggested to pass the ball to Moore so he could make the game-winner.

"Juan's our leader," Wyatt said. "I mean, the ball's in his hands most of the game. So we trust Juan to make smart decisions down the stretch."

But for a fleeting moment, it looked as if Fernandez wouldn't get off a makeable shot.

He thought about taking a jump shot. But he was unable to do so after picking up his dribble too soon with Penn State guard Tim Frazier in his face. So Fernandez leaned to the right to create space before fading left and making a shot off his wrong foot.

"Usually, you don't practice those kind of shots," said Fernandez, who made 8 of 13 baskets to finish with 23 points. He added three assists and three rebounds. "You know, it was like Coach said, it was our time. And we enjoy it.

"But we want to get that second win, too. It's not over here."

Making its first tourney appearance since 2001, Penn State did not suffer stage fright.

The Nittany Lions pushed the Owls to the limit even after senior forward Jeff Brooks left with a dislocated right shoulder with 18 minutes, 53 seconds remaining. There were 20 lead changes and eight ties before Fernandez advanced Temple into the next round.

Moore (23 points) and Wyatt (10) were the Owls' other double-figure scorers.

The game marked the return of Temple swingman Scootie Randall, who missed his only shot in six minutes off the bench. He had sat out the previous seven games after suffering a hairline fracture in his right foot against Richmond on Feb. 17.

Battle made 5 of 11 three-pointers en route to a team-high 23 points for Penn State.