COLUMN: Penn knew what was coming, but it didn't help

Temple's legendary matchup zone was certainly nothing new to the Quakers, but as usual they couldn't solve it John Chaney is not one for surprises. The legendary Temple coach would probably even give you his playbook if you asked nicely. Chaney doesn't win with trick plays or anything that can remotely be described as flashy. His strategy is as predictable as the loosened tie and the angry scowl. Chaney dares opponents to beat his Owls at the basics. Try to beat the Temple match-up zone. Try to speed up the pace of the game. Try, just try, to score 70 points. Last night was no different than the past 14 Penn-Temple matchups. Quakers coach Fran Dunphy knew exactly what Chaney was going to chalk up, as did 7,364 fans who filled the Palestra bleachers. But it didn't matter. The Owls held the Quakers to just 18 first-half points and only 42 for the game. And Chaney didn't even have to turn to page two of his playbook. The Temple defense was at its best in the first half yesterday -- and that's pretty good considering the Owls have already knocked off then-No. 1 Kansas and then-No. 2 Villanova earlier in the season. Temple guards Levan Alston, Huey Futch and Lynard Steward somehow managed to rotate around to double-up the Quakers perimeter players before the pass even got to the open man. Going down low to Tim Krug or Paul Romanczuk was equally impossible. The Owls zone shut off every passing lane to the low post, forcing Penn to fire up 20 first-half treys. All of the Quakers' usual scoring avenues were shut off. Even swingman Ira Bowman was held in check. Temple never allowed Bowman to penetrate to the hoop. Penn's leading scorer was held to just four points -- all within the last minute and a half of the game when the outcome was already decided. Penn managed just 10 shots inside the three-point arc during the first 20 minutes of action. A Donald Moxley finger roll and two Krug layups were the only two-pointers scored by the Quakers in the half. No surprises. Just basic Chaney. But there was one change to script. Temple has dominated Penn in the past with strong guard play. From Mark Macon to Eddie Jones and Aaron McKie to Rick Brunson last year, the Owls always seemed to have an outside player who could take over a game if need be. But the star of yesterday's game was 6-foot-10 center Marc Jackson, who bullied Krug and Romanczuk in the paint for much of the first half. Jackson scored 10 points before intermission -- all within five feet of the basket. With his Quakers down by 14 points, Dunphy made some long overdue adjustments at the break. In the second half, Jackson had two, sometimes three, Penn bodies draped over his 275-pound body every time the ball was lobbed down low. Penn held Jackson to just two field goals in the second half. With Jackson tangled up and outside shots not falling, the Owls merely treaded water for the rest of the game, holding off a late Penn run to win, 53-42. Shooting 36.2 percent from the floor would kill most teams, but Temple only needed 43 points for the victory. "I've been here four years," Owls forward Derrick Battie said. "And all four years, I've heard Coach say, 'You guys just can't shoot.' Even when Aaron and Eddie were here, I used to hear him say, 'You guys just can't shoot.' I've been hearing that for four years." And after we're all long graduated, John Chaney will still be stomping on the sidelines, complaining about his team's performance. The tie will be down to his navel, the sweat drenched through his white shirt. John Chaney will probably never change -- and neither will his playbook.

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