PHILADELPHIA | Ramone Moore had his best effort on a big stage.
Moore scored a career-high 30 points and Temple held on to upset No. 9 Georgetown 68-65 on Thursday night.
“It was a dream come true winning a big game with a great atmosphere,” Moore said about playing in front of a national television audience.
Hollis Thompson missed a shot underneath that would have put Georgetown ahead with a few seconds left. Kahlir Jefferson iced it with two free throws and the fans stormed the court after Austin Freeman’s desperation halfcourt shot was off.
The Owls (6-2) handed the Hoyas (8-1) their first loss of the season thanks to a spectacular performance by Moore, who was 12 for 18 from the field.
“I try not to let the big stage faze me,” Moore said. “I’ve always been calm playing basketball. I’ve been doing it my whole life.”
Jefferson and Scootie Randall each added 10 points for Temple.
Jason Clark had 15 points, and Freeman and Julian Vaughn both scored 14 for Georgetown.
The victory was No. 400 for coach Fran Dunphy. Dunphy, who previously coached at Penn, is the second Big 5 coach to reach 400. His predecessor, Hall of Fame coach John Chaney, had 516 wins in 24 years at Temple.
“It’s all about these guys,” Dunphy said. “They’re all great players and great people.”
Georgetown overcame an 11-point deficit late in the first half and got within two a few times before finally tying it. Moore drove the lane and emphatically dunked to put the Owls up 54-50 with 7:45 left. Jefferson made a layup off a nifty underneath pass from Juan Fernandez to make it 56-52.
But Chris Wright stole a pass and scored on a fastbreak layup. Then Wright made two free throws to tie it at 56.
Moore answered with a 3-pointer, Jefferson scored on a putback and the Owls were up 61-56.
Temple’s lead stayed at five until Vaughn’s layup cut it to 64-61 with 1:57 remaining. After two free throws by Jefferson, Wright made an acrobatic layup. Vaughn’s hook shot pulled Georgetown within 66-65 with under a minute left.
Fernandez missed a 3 with the shot clock expiring, giving Georgetown a chance to win it at the end. But Thompson’s shot rimmed out and the Owls grabbed the rebound.
“I told them I wouldn’t call a timeout if they got the ball,” Hoyas coach John Thompson III said. “It was a case of trusting them. That’s the way the ball bounces.”
Temple had success despite getting little from leading scorer Lavoy Allen, who didn’t get his first field goal until the second half and finished with six points and six rebounds.
“I thought our defense overall was good,” Dunphy said. “To hold them to 44 percent was really good. We made them work for everything they got. I thought we competed at both ends of the court. Ramone was great throughout.”
Georgetown thrived from beyond the arc in November, but shot 5 of 16 from 3-point range on Thursday.
Playing their first home game in nearly a month before a big crowd at the Liacouras Center, Temple came out strong. The Owls took a 6-0 lead and never trailed in the first half.
They took their largest lead, 35-24, after Randall hit a 3-pointer and Jefferson scored on a layup and made a free throw to complete three-point play.
After Clark hit a 3 for Georgetown, Jefferson made a perfect backdoor pass to Moore for an easy layup. Moore’s tip-in at the end of half sent Temple to the locker room up 39-32.
That basket gave Moore 17 points, which already was his season-high.
“The adrenaline was flowing, it was a really big game and I wanted to step up for my team,” Moore said.
The Hoyas so far have played a difficult schedule, preparing them for Big East competition. Temple is one of five Georgetown nonconference opponents picked to win its conference — or a division within its conference — this season. The others are Utah State, Old Dominion, Coastal Carolina and Wofford.
“That was a real tough atmosphere,” Wright said. “Our league is the same way, so I think a loss like this will help us.”
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