Despite holding a significant size advantage over Temple, No. 5 Duke were outrebounded by the Owls, who took a 78-73 upset victory at the Wells Fargo Center. Temple led for the majority of the first half and the entire second half on their way to the win in which they grabbed 32 rebounds compared to the Blue Devils' 29.
Duke was unable to capitalize on the Owls' early mishandling of the ball, with Temple turning it over 11 times in the first half. With their opponents failing to cash in on those opportunities, the Owls shot effectively from the field going 16-for-27 in the first half and grabbing seven offensive rebounds, compared to the Blue Devils' four. The last time Duke led was with 10:43 remaining in the first half.
The lone bright spot early on for head coach Mike Krzyzewski was forward Miles Plumlee, who scored 12 points in just ten minutes in the first half.
Late in the game, Duke was unable to contain 6-foot-4 guard Khalif Wyatt, who notched 15 points of his 22 points in the second half, on an efficient 5-of-6 shooting. Although the Owls had extended their lead to double digits midway through the final period, Duke was able to battle back within three with 5:05 remaining after both Miles and Mason Plumlee began bullying the undersized Temple frontcourt. But, Wyatt responded on the next two possessions with back-to-back 3-pointers that ignited the Temple crowd, who finished the game storming the court.
Mason Plumlee finished the game with a 16-point, 13-rebound performance, but he was the only Blue Devil to grab more than four boards.
This was the Blue Devils final game before beginning conference play on Saturday at Georgia Tech, the team's third road game of the season.
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