Temple's road dominance hit a detour. So did the 15th-ranked Owls'
hopes of an easy ride through the Atlantic 10.
Blame surging Charlotte and its speedy, sharp-shooting guard.
Derrio Green scored 26 points and Charlotte rallied for a
74-64 victory over Temple on Wednesday night that ended Owls'
six-game winning streak and created a logjam atop the league.
Entering with an 8-1 road record and known as one of the
nation's top defensive teams, the Owls (17-4, 5-1) couldn't stop
Green and couldn't solve Charlotte's 2/3 zone. With Lavoy Allen in
foul trouble and Juan Fernandez struggling, Temple lost for only
the second time in 15 games.
"You definitely have to bring your 'A' game, especially on
the road," said Ryan Brooks, one of Temple's lone bright spots with
five 3-pointers and 20 points. "Teams definitely excel at home and
play their best basketball. This league is very competitive. A
prime example was tonight."
Frustrated by Charlotte's trapping zone, Temple coughed up a
10-point first-half lead and shot 35 percent as Charlotte won its
fourth straight.
Luis Guzman added a career-high 14 points and Allen had 12
points and 14 rebounds, but was limited to seven minutes in the
second half.
"He kind of runs the show for us defensively," Temple coach
Fran Dunphy said. "We needed him in the game much more."
Freshman Chris Braswell added 14 of his 15 points in the
second half and Boston College transfer Shamari Spears had 11
points and nine rebounds for the 49ers (15-5, 5-1), whose
turnaround season has landed them in a first-place tie with Temple
and idle Xavier.
Charlotte fans, starved for success after the program's
recent woes, swarmed the court after the signature win, cheering as
coach Bobby Lutz told the crowd over the loudspeaker that the
Niners were back.
"I hope so," Lutz said. "It's just fun being in the fight
again."
Just 11-20 a year ago and without an NCAA tournament
appearance since 2005, the 49ers have returned to prominence behind
a trio of newcomers that includes the speedy Green. The junior
college transfer hit four 3-pointers, the last with 33 seconds left
that ended Temple's comeback hopes.
"He's been better than I thought. I'm not going to lie to
you," Lutz said. "And his best basketball is still ahead of him.
He's fun to watch and he's so quick and he can shoot it. He's hard
to guard and it's fun to be a part of watching him grow already as
a sophomore."
Green's driving layup with 7:02 remaining gave the 49ers
their first lead. It came with Fernandez, the Owls' point guard,
sitting on the end of the bench with a towel draped over his head,
after being a game-time decision with concussionlike symptoms.
When the 49ers took a 54-51 lead on Braswell's bucket with
5:29 left, Dunphy called a timeout and Fernandez checked in.
It didn't help. The 49ers played stifling interior defense
while getting looks in transition. DiJuan Harris' acrobatic,
behind-the-head pass in traffic to Braswell for a layup put
Charlotte ahead 58-51 with 3:32 left.
Fernandez's first field goal, a 3-pointer with 2:36 left, cut
the 49ers' lead to 60-56. But Green's 3 set off a confetti-filled
celebration at Halton Arena.
Green continued his success against top teams. He scored 20
in an upset of Louisville and 31 in a loss to Georgia Tech.
"I guess I just shoot it better when I see the number beside
their name," said Green, who played last season at Gulf Coast
Community College in Florida.
Temple raced to a 7-0 lead and Brooks hit four of his first
six 3-point attempts. Scootie Randall then made two straight to put
the Owls ahead 28-18.
Charlotte stayed in the zone and responded with a 10-1 run
capped by Green's fadeaway, before Guzman's 3 put the Owls up 32-28
at halftime.
The Owls, who hit 11 of 35 3-pointers, failed to take command
of the conference in their first loss since falling to Kansas on
Jan. 2.
Charlotte, which won at Louisville when it was ranked, last
beat two ranked teams in the same season the year it last made the
NCAA tournament.
"This year, unlike last year, we have so many pieces," Spears
said. "I think that's what makes this team special."
