Hooter the Owl picks up a `T'

Seeing a boisterous John Chaney receive a technical in Penn's 68-62 victory at Temple's Liacouras Center was almost inevitable -- Chaney had worked the referees the entire game, and the Owls' head coach was the first to admit that he deserved the foul.

Chaney was not ready, however, for what would come just ten seconds later. In the midst of the confusion of Chaney's technical, Hooter the Owl walked on to the court thinking that the game had been stopped for a timeout.

Upset about a no call on a three-point attempt by Temple's David Hawkins -- apparently fouled by Penn's Jeff Schiffner -- the Owl angrily flapped both wings at the head referee and was handed a technical and promptly ejected from the game.

Chaney was not initially aware that the technical was assesed to the Owl and had never heard of a mascot being tossed from a game. But when the Hall of Famer learned the news, he could only laugh at the hilarity of the situation.

"Our mascot is soft," Chaney said. "They should give a technical to the St. Joes' mascot. The St Joes' mascot flaps his wings, sticks out his tongue, all kinds of stuff."

Next time Hooter argues with a referee, Chaney will make sure he gets his money's worth.

"I'll have to talk to him next time and be sure that he slaps the shit out of him," Chaney said. "If they're going to call something on him, next time he better do something. I get called for manslaughter, and this guy gets called for murder."

Although Hooter's ejection became the most humorous SportsCenter highlight of the day, the back-to-back technicals could not have come at a more inopportune time for the Owls, who were in the midst of cutting Penn's 19-point lead to six. After Schiffner made 3-of-4 technical free-throws, the game was all but over.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.