Temple Basketball: Owls take down Drexel in Dunphy’s Palestra finale

Temple basketball head coach Fran Dunphy had to bid a difficult farewell but the Owls also had a lot to play for in their victory over Drexel.

Fran Dunphy has been saying his share of goodbyes in his final season as Temple basketball’s head coach. Prior to Dec. 22, he had already coached his last games at Finneran Pavilion (Villanova) and Hagan Arena (St. Joe’s), where he received standing ovations from both sets of fans. He also opened the season hosting his alma mater La Salle for the final time and he will play Penn, the school he coached to nine Ivy League titles, once more in January.

But Dec. 22 was a bit different. Though the opponent wasn’t one of the traditional Big 5 schools, the game that was technically hosted by nearby Drexel was Fran Dunphy’s final at The Palestra, the building in which he coached those Penn teams to Ivy League glory and consistent tournament appearances over 17 seasons. In this matchup, the Cathedral of College Basketball and the crown jewel of the Philadelphia Big 5 opened its doors to a Dunphy-led team one final time.

Dunphy accepted another standing ovation after the PA announcer noted his retirement while Drexel honored the coach by showering the arena floor with blue and gold streamers after the Dragons made their first bucket, a decades-old Big 5 tradition. But there was still a game to be played and it was an important one for Temple. Even though the Owls might have been heavily favored, you can all but throw the book out when Philly schools meet.

Drexel came within three points of Temple on North Broad a year ago, and they manage to upset a Philly rival or two just about every season. The difference between 10-2 and heading down to Orlando to kick off league play with UCF on a three-game winning streak and 9-3 coming off a loss to Drexel at the Palestra was huge.

Drexel kept the game close through much of the first half, holding a lead as large as 17-13, and not they did not let the Owls open a lead larger than eight until Nate Pierre-Louis hit a half-court buzzer-beater to end the first half. They would trim the deficit to as close as six with less than nine minutes remaining before Temple took off and earned a comfortable 18-point win.

But it was good basketball from both sides. The ball moved well and there was intensity on the court and in the stands. Drexel even held the overall advantage on the glass. But a major turnover and shot attempt disparity in favor of Temple, along with a few big individual efforts, made the difference in the game.

Dunphy walked out of the Palestra doors one final time with the last of a tremendous list of accomplishments in that building. But hopefully for Fran and his 2018-19 Temple squad, his swan-song season won’t just be about farewells and nostalgia. He and the 10-2 Owls have ambitions to send Dunphy out on his highest note yet.