PHILADELPHIA — A rare Big 5 slugfest involving Villanova broke out Friday night at the Liacouras Center, and Temple landed the last blow.
Damian Dunn’s two free throws with 1.1 seconds left put Temple ahead for good as the Owls beat the No. 16 Wildcats, 68-64, for the first time since 2012.
There were more than 12 lead changes in the final 10 minutes.
Off a Caleb Daniels miss, Temple grabbed a rebound and had the final possession with the shot clock unplugged. Owls coach Aaron McKie opted not to call timeout. Dunn waited on the wing and then drove at Brandon Slater, who was called for a foul with 1.1 seconds left.
Dunn made both free throws, and Villanova’s desperation inbounds pass was caught by Temple’s Zach Hicks.
Stat leaders
Dunn led all scorers with 22 points. Jamille Reynolds added 14 points and 12 rebounds for Temple and was at times Temple’s best player on the floor.
Khalif Battle scored 21 points off the bench for Temple and, along with Dunn, kept Temple tight with Villanova in the final stretch.
Villanova, still playing without Justin Moore and top freshman Cam Whitmore, was paced by Daniels’ 19 points. Eric Dixon scored 18 points and grabbed five rebounds, and Jordan Longino scored 11, including a key 3-pointer that gave Villanova a 64-62 lead with 58 seconds to go.
Temple punches first
If effort was a problem for Temple in Monday night’s season-opening loss, the Owls certainly got the message in time for Friday night.
Temple outworked Villanova on almost every early possession. Reynolds was a force inside, using his height advantage on Dixon to grab offensive rebounds and create second-chance scoring opportunities for Temple. The Owls jumped out to a 28-15 lead in large part because of Reynolds, who had eight points and seven rebounds in nine first-half minutes.
Dixon, who scored 20 points in Monday’s season-opening win over La Salle, picked up an early foul 45 seconds in and then another just 3:23 into the half. Villanova struggled on offense without him.
But the Wildcats used a critical 11-3 run to close the half and cut a 13-point deficit to five, 34-29, at halftime.
’Nova punches back
In a game that needed a turning point or a momentum shift, Slater delivered it.
A Dunn jumper put Temple up, 45-37, with 13:43 left in the game, and Temple appeared to have seized control after Villanova’s run to close the half.
But down the other end, Slater drove to the rim and hammered home a dunk over Temple’s Kur Jongkuch, who was in the game for Reynolds after the Temple big man picked up his third foul less than two minutes into the second half.
That jumpstarted a 10-0 Villanova run that gave the Wildcats their first lead, 47-45, with 10:41 to play.
It also woke up the crowd, and the teams traded baskets until the final horn, with Dunn and Battle making the bigger plays down the stretch.
Notable
Villanova had won seven straight over Temple by an average of 18 points since the Owls’ last win in the series.
Villanova made just two 3-pointers, the fewest since hitting three in a 2021 NCAA Tournament loss to Baylor.
Up next
Villanova hosts Delaware State on Monday at Finneran Pavilion (6:30 p.m., FS2).
Temple plays next on Tuesday, a home game at Liacouras Center vs. Vanderbilt (7 p.m., ESPN+).
