Outclassed

Oh, how times have changed.

In its 2007-08 season opener, the Temple men’s basketball team was completely outclassed by 7th-ranked Tennessee in an 80-63 loss on Friday night at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn.

Bothered all night by fullcourt pressure, the Owls committed 23 turnovers and top scorers Dionte Christmas (12 points) and Mark Tyndale (11 points) were both held in check.

Freshman big man Lavoy Allen provided the only true bright spot for Coach Fran Dunphy’s squad, dominating the first seven minutes before his night was derailed by foul trouble. Allen finished with eight points, nine rebounds, and three assists in 23 minutes of action.

But the story of the game was the home team’s suffocating fullcourt pressure and the easy baskets they got from their defense. The Volunteers stormed ahead with a 16-2 first half run – which coincided with Allen’s departure – and never let the Owls get back in it.

Christmas struggled more than anyone else, going 0 for 4 from the field and committing three turnovers in the first 20 minutes. Tyndale wasn’t much better, and sophomore guard Ryan Brooks brought little help from the bench.

The Owls did accomplish the one thing they talked about most this preseason – they played good halfcourt defense. Case in point, Tennessee’s top scorer, Chris Lofton – hyped as one of the best three-point shooters in the country – went 0 for 5 from three-point range and finished with 10 points. The Volunteers shot 40 percent from the field in the first half.

But as well as the Owls played on defense, they couldn’t offset the points that Tennessee piled up in transition. Volunteer guards JaJuan Smith (15 points, 5 steals) and Ramar Smith (14 points) controlled the game on both ends of the floor, with plenty of backline help from Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism.

Temple had nothing but trouble at point guard. Junior Semaj Inge got the start and committed five turnovers in 19 minutes. Senior Chris Clark went scoreless in 15 minutes. Sophomore Luis Guzman got an extended look at point guard in the second half and contributed a career-high nine points in 18 minutes.

As expected, rookies Martavis Kee and Craig Williams did not see action until the closing minutes.

Conversely, Allen was in there from the start – and boy was he productive. He started with a dunk, then hit a pair of hook shots. In between, he made a sharp pass to Inge for a layup.

The Owls had a 14-11 lead when Allen drew his second foul, which came on the offensive end, away from the ball, after he and Inge had missed a pair of close-in shots. Allen left the game for seven minutes. The Volunteers had a 27-19 lead when he returned – and almost immediately drew his third foul.

Junior center Sergio Olmos played a career-high 28 minutes and finished with seven points, five rebounds, and two blocked shots. Considering the level of competition, that was pretty good.

But the Owls had no chance with Christmas shooting 3 for 13 from the field and Tyndale (4 for 13) barely any better. Both players gave credit to Tennessee’s terrific defense, which not only covered those two, but left few holes for their teammates.

The Owls went 3 for 17 from three-point range, worse than all but two games (Duke, George Washington) last season. They were outrebounded by a slim 40-37 margin.

Next week, Temple will head to Puerto Rico for a three-game tournament. The opening opponent is Providence.