Temple boosts RPI with road win over Maryland

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Fran Dunphy looked at the box score from last night's 64-61 victory over the University of Maryland in the BB&T Classic and liked what he saw.

With Ramone Moore getting 16 points, Juan Fernandez 14, Lavoy Allen 13 and Scootie Randall 10, the Owls may have had their most impressive scoring performance of the season.

The Owls (5-2) had five players score in double-figures in a blowout victory over Toledo, but Maryland, of the Atlantic Coast Conference, is a different animal.

"We need to have that and I think every coach will tell you the same thing," said Dunphy, who notched his 399th career victory. "When you have balanced scoring, nobody can figure out one guy."

Temple is now 3-0 in games when four players score in double figures.

"If you have the case of one guy doing it and they shut him down, our team is not very potent offensively," Dunphy said. "But when we spread it around as we did tonight, it's terrific for us."

It didn't come easy as Temple surrendered all of a 15-point second-half lead and found itself in a 56-56 game with 1 minute, 52 seconds left.

But Allen got fouled while scoring a layup and completed the three-point play to put the Owls back up.

Both teams went scoreless for the next minute, but with 34 seconds left, Khalif Wyatt ended a strange session of hot potato by stealing an outlet pass from the Terps under the Temple basket and making a layup.

Down 63-58 with 5 seconds to go, Maryland (6-3) got a three-pointer from freshman Terrell Stoglin, but a free-throw by Moore sealed the Temple win.

"I think every win is a much-needed win and Maryland is certainly a tremendous basketball program," Dunphy said.

It was a victory that could pay huge dividends for Temple on Selection Sunday.

Combined with earlier wins over Seton Hall and Georgia, the win over Maryland gives the Owls victories over teams from the Big East, Southeastern Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Those are the type of victories that could boost a team's RPI and possibly helped them off the bubble at Tournament Time. *