Temple fans storm court twice in upset win over No. 16 Villanova

A win over a top-25 team sometimes calls for two celebrations. 

The Temple Owls defeated No. 16 Villanova 68-64 Friday night in Philadelphia, PA, but the end of the game required clearing the floor of fans before the clock was finally allowed to turn to zero. 

With 1.1 seconds left, Damian Dunn knocked down two free throws to give Temple a 66-64 lead. Villanova attempted a full-court heave off of the inbounds pass, but Temple stole the pass, and fans rushed the court to celebrate. 

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The problem? There were still 0.2 seconds left on the clock. 

Zach Hicks of Temple was fouled on the steal, so the referees cleared the floor in order to allow Hicks to attempt two free throws with 0.2 seconds left on the clock. 

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“This is the dumbest thing we could possibly be doing,” the ESPNU announcer said on the broadcast. “They’re saying that the game is not officially over, so we’re going to clear the court here of this absolute melee for 0.2 seconds at best.” 

Hicks knocked down both free throws, and Temple fans stormed the court for the second time, this time for good. 

“It felt like the party just started,” Temple sophomore guard Khalif Battle said. “I mean, they had to chuck-up a shot with .2 seconds on the clock. You do that, I take my hat off. But we won.”

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It’s the first time Temple has defeated Villanova since the 2012-13 season, and the first win over a top-25 team for the Owls since the 2020 season.

“It’s great for the players to see, that’s that college energy that these kids go play college basketball for,” Temple head coach Aaron McKie said.

Villanova dropped to 1-1 on the season in the first year since the retirement of Hall of Fame head coach Jay Wright.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.