ECU Rolls Past Temple 64-61
GREENVILLE, N.C. -Kentrell Barkley cleaned up a Prince Williams miss in the lane with just 1.6 seconds to play for a hoop and some harm when he was fouled by Temple's Josh Brown. The three-point play proved to be the difference in ECU's 64-61 victory thriller over the Owls Wednesday night in Minges Coliseum.
Prince Williams pretty much led the show from beginning to end from his point guard position where he tossed in a game high 18 points for the Pirates. Fellow guard B.J. Tyson scored 14 and hauled down five boards while Barkley continued come up big, substituting for the injured Caleb White who has been out with a concussion for the past two games. Barkley's 13 points and ten boards to go along with six assists played huge in the victory. White played just six minutes and did not score.
Obi Enechionyia scored 18 points while Quinten Decosey added 14 to lead the Owls.
Barkley talked about what turned out to be the game winner with less than two seconds to play.
"I was trying to go for the ball wherever I could get it and I just happened to be there and I just tried to finish strong at the basket," Barkley said, "It feels pretty good. I'm glad I could make that happen for the team. It was a big team win for us. We just have to keep working hard next."
Prince Williams talked about what beating Memphis last week in the FedEx Forum did for this team coming into Wednesday night's game against the Owls.
"It definitely got some momentum going. We got some confidence and staying together and knowing we could win and coming out late and making plays because we stayed in the games most of the time and we'd come up short. That's what's happened with our season, but we've started to make a turn now," Williams said, "It feels good to win, I'll tell you that. We've gone through so much. We just stood together. We knew we could win, we've just got to come down and make plays late and that's what I was focused on myself and I was telling the guys that it's gut check time. It's time to win and we've got to step up and make plays."
"It feels great. Hopefully we can continue to ride this way and stay confident and come out Saturday with another win," said Williams.
ECU is exhibiting a lineup of six to eight guys who can score at any time at the moment and Williams commented on what that's doing for his ball club.
"That's what makes us dangerous. We've got KB, BJ, of course Caleb, Mike Zangari who tonight got some threes and of course myself. We've just got to have that balanced attack and stay confident on the offensive end."
Sixth year ECU head coach Jeff Lebo is beginning to see the fruits of his efforts after a slow start to the season.
"Well it was just a terrific win for our kids and for our program. I don't even think our guys understand what a big win that actually was. This Temple team, the sixth winningest program in history won 26 games last year. They're a team that is traditionally just a fine basketball team, fighting for an NCAA birth. I've got a lot of respect for their coach and their program and so our first win over them. We haven't played them a lot. They're a team who beat SMU, Cincinnati twice, won at Connecticut, so with all the adversity we've faced this year, to win that game is just a really special moment in that locker room, Lebo said."
"If you had told me we'd win that game shooting 3 of 17 from three against them I would have told you that you were crazy. You look back at some of the great wins we've had here and they're with double-figure threes typically, but not tonight. We found a way to win the game. Kentrell Barkley just a great play. He played forty minutes in this game and our fast break with 22 to zero fast break points. It can't get much better than that."
ECU got the bulk of their points in the paint to the tune of 36 points. Add to that 12 trips to the stripe where the Pirates made all but one.
"And we didn't foul them and we didn't turn it over, but they're typically a team that plays position defense. They don't turn you over a heck of a lot, but they've got experienced guys. You always worry. Late in the game I was worried. We played more man (defense) late because Obi (Enechinyia) is real good inside, finding an open area and shooting the basketball. We found a way to get some stops late and made some big plays coming down the stretch at winning time two games in a row and that was nice to see."
Temple jumped out to as much as a five point lead on a pair of occasions early in the contest before ECU tied the game at 13-13 at the eleven minute mark of the first period.
The Owls were able to build as much as a four point lead again. But a Prince Williams trey on a feed from Mike Zangari and an ali-oop to Clarence Williams from Kentrel Barkley in transition gave ECU a 24-23 lead at the three minute mark of the first half.
A pair of B.J. Tyson drives late in the half and nine first half points from Prince Williams found ECU up by two at intermission.
The Pirates hit just 38 percent from the floor to only 32 percent for Temple. ECU went 2 for 9 from the arc against 3 for 11 three-point shooting for the Owls but it proved to be enough in the first period.
Devin Coleman and Obi Enechionyia led Temple with five first half points.
An B.J. Tyson baseline drive helped ECU build an early four-point 30-26 lead before Josh Brown tied the contest at 34 apiece.
The contest remained a tight one point game the twelve minute mark. Temple then built a five-point 52-47 cushion on a Devin Coleman trey and another from Obi Enechionyia.
Kentrell Barkley scored in the paint and again on two free throws before B.J. Tyson tied the game with 4:30 to play at 52. Then a Tyson baseline jumper helped the Pirates reclaim the lead at 54-52 with 3:30 to play.
Four Prince Williams free throws on two separate possessions found ECU up 59-57 with 1:47 in regulation.
Josh Brown tied the game at 59 apiece for Temple before a bank shot from the top of the key from Prince Williams put the Pirates back up by a deuce with a minute to play..BJ Tyson turnover on and subsquent foul with 21 seconds to play put Josh Brown on the charity stripe where he buried the first and then canned the second after an ECU timeout was called to tie the game at 61.
But Barkley came to the rescue on the final possession with a follow up basket and a free throw after a Prince Williams missed shot for a three-point 64-61 lead with 1.6 seconds to go. Temple was unable to score on their final possession and the Pirates claimed the victory.
"I don't care where I was, even the SEC, these two wins were big ones. I'm just happy but more happy for our guys. Just excited for them. They've overcome so much and they've had some down moments but this was exciting to have a week like we've had. We didn't practice that much because we've got three games this week and I was worried about how much we were going to have in the tank here for Temple. I thought we looked tired at times. B.J. looked tired at times and Prince gave a lot of tired signals out there. We kind of shortened up the rotation a little big. Caleb was cleared right before the game and he hadn't practiced for a week so it wasn't fair to him to expect a lot but he gave us a couple of decent minutes to give some guys some blows."
Clarence Williams and Michel Nzege were terrific tonight. They gave us a lot of defensive things tonight that you won't see on the stat sheet. It's great to finally see Prince running the team. We've been running some things for him late. He's playing with a lot mote confidence. No turnovers. I like to see that. He's been really good. We've got a lot more solid play from a lot more people. Mike Zangari was terrific too tonight. He battled hard. A Pennsylvania kid. It meant a lot to him to get a win against a home town school."
Temple's guards cause teams fits around the arc and it was a point of emphasis for Lebo and his Pirates Wednesday night.
"Their three guards just make plays. Decosey made a big shot. He's made them his whole career. Josh Brown in late game situations, I worry about him one on one, he makes a big one from the foul line. Coleman has been a guy who has been on fire for them. He had 23 points against SMU so they've got a strong backcourt."