Temple guard Khalif Wyatt drives on the Syracuse defense during Saturday's classic
The Temple Owls scored a big non-conference victory Saturday afternoon against the Syracuse Orange. But should this come as a surprise to anyone?
History says Syracuse should have been on upset alert the whole time, as this is the fifth consecutive season the Owls have knocked off a top 10 team while being unranked.
The Owls put in a team effort, but their win was augmented by senior Khalif Wyatt, and sophomore Anthony Lee. Wyatt scored a career high 33 points at the worlds most famous arena. And he did so efficiently, shooting a shade under 50% from the field and knocking down all 15 free throw attempts. Big man Anthony Lee also had an outstanding game, finishing with 21 points and nine rebounds,
Syracuse got their best production from regulars CJ Fair and Brandon Triche. Fair lead the Orange with 25 points, added seven rebounds, and most importantly, hit all eight of his free throw attempts. Triche contributed with 17 points off of 7-12 shooting from the field, he also played 39 of the 40 minutes possible.
The game started off close, with Syracuse and Temple going back and forth in the early stages. Midway through the first half, the Orange went on a run which saw them take a 24-14 lead. At this point, the #3 team in the land looked to cruise into halftime, but Temple had other thoughts. The Owls fought back, and clng into halftime.
After the break Temple caught Syracuse by surprise, the mostly Orange Madison Square Garden by surprise, and maybe even the sideline commentators by surprise with a 13-2 run. This started another seesaw battle, as Syracuse responded with an 11-2 run of their own, bringing the score to 53-53.
As the game winded down, three point buckets from Scootie Randall and Quenton DeCosey sparked another Owl run. By this point, Temple had slowed down the pace, and used the clock to their advantage. Offensive rebounding, and capitalizing on free throw opportunities carried the Owls to their upset win.
Syracuse finished the game 19-34 from the line. Star guard Michael Carter-Williams didn't help the cause, finishing 7-15 from the stripe. The Orange will have a chance to rebound this Saturday at home against Alcorn State. Temple will be back in action Friday against Detroit.
