TEMPLE/OWLS: Penn hopes to break jinx against Temple

Dunphy looks for 100th win and first vs. Owls After five straight convincing Ivy League victories, Penn finally gets to venture out of its official conference and face some more respected competition in its other conference. Head coach John Chaney will bring a young Temple team into the Palestra tonight to help celebrate Big 5 Hall of Fame night at 7 p.m. (Prism, WXPN-FM 88.5, WSSJ-AM 1310). Games against the Owls have not given the Quakers much cause to celebrate over the years. Chaney has never lost to Penn, and Temple has emerged victorious in each of the last 13 contests. Nobody would celebrate a win tonight more than Penn coach Fran Dunphy, who currently has 99 on his Penn career. The Quakers (15-3, 0-0 Big 5) are now the team starting five seniors, while Temple has four new faces trying to adapt to the college game. With a pair of NBA first-round picks, Eddie Jones and Aaron McKie, departed, the Owls have struggled to pick up the missing scoring punch. Without this duo, Temple's offense has suffered miserably and senior point guard Rick Brunson has been forced to increase his role as a scorer. Brunson is the only Owl averaging in double figures, pouring in over 15 points a game. "Eddie could do it," Chaney said. "Aaron could do it. We don't have that kind of a player now. We don't have someone that can break a defense down. Only a few people can do it." Without the threat of any Owl taking his man to the basket, Temple has been forced to rely on the outside shot. And for the most part, the Owls' shots haven't been falling. While Temple has given up the fewest points in the nation, its lack of offense has caused the team to sputter to a 12-7 record (1-0 in the Big 5). "We don't shoot the ball as well as we would like to," Chaney said. "We've had a lot of problems shooting the ball, especially at the foul line." The Owls have shown signs of breaking out of their scoring drought of late. Against Rhode Island last Friday, Temple exploded from beyond the arc, connecting on 16 of 27 three-point attempts. The Owls were paced by freshman guard Johnny Miller, who drained five three-point attempts. But the shooting woes returned in Sunday's 53-48 win at Louisville. Temple's three-point accuracy dipped to just four of 16. Shooting difficulties have plagued the Owls in several close defeats this season, but this time Temple shot its way into the win column in the game's final minute. It was Miller who again stepped forward to bury the three that paced the Owls to victory. "I've heard people say that they're inexperienced, but I don't think so," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "Rick Brunson's not inexperienced. Derrick Battie, Jason Ivey and Levan Alston all have lots of experience. Their two freshmen are high school all-Americans with lots of experience playing against good competition. They may be inexperienced for Temple's program, but I don't think they are inexperienced." In the backcourt, Brunson is teamed up with Alston. Miller is quick to come off the bench for some added shooting range. Up front, the Owls will be without the services of 6-foot-9 junior forward Derrick Battie, who will likely be forced to sit out the contest with a bone chip in his right ankle. Taking his spot in the starting lineup will be freshman Lynard Stewart. Rounding out the first five are physical center William Cunningham and the steady Jason Ivey. Sophomore Huey Futch has picked up his performance and minutes of late and has become a valuable part of the Owls' attack. "We have to stop Brunson from penetrating," Penn forward Shawn Trice said. "He's the key to their offense. We have to make him give up the ball." Aside from controlling Brunson, Penn will also attempt to control the tempo of the game. Temple will sit back in its renowned match-up zone and force the Quakers to work for good shots. Against Louisville, the Owls did not allow the Cardinals to score a single field goal from inside the three-point line in the second half. Against the Quakers, Temple will likely extend the zone even further out to cut down the threat of being beaten by Jerome Allen or Matt Maloney. According to Temple assistant Jim Maloney, the Owls want to take away the known-- Allen and Maloney -- and risk the chance of an unknown Quaker being the one to beat them. "The match-up zone is what they play, and they do it well," Dunphy said. "They have great communication. They know their roles. Its great coverage by great athletes." Great athletes are something Penn has not seen a lot of in its opposition of late. But with a nationally respected scholarship school invading the Palestra, the Quakers will certainly face a challenge. Penn hopes it will be able to better the 39 percent shooting clip it had against Temple a year ago and put the lengthy losing streak to rest. "It's kind of tough coming off all these Ivy games," Trice said. "Guys weren't as quick, weren't as strong or as tall as the Temple guys will be. Because of that, guys become complacent. We have to make the adjustment. We have to come out aggressive. We've always wanted to beat Temple."