PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Dalton Pepper scored the go-ahead layup with 45 seconds left, helping Temple recover after blowing a 15-point lead to beat Penn 78-73 on Saturday night.
Penn’s Tony Hicks hit consecutive 3-pointers late in the second half to tie the game at 71. He turned a steal into a fastbreak layup with 1:40 left that sent fans at the Palestra into a frenzy. Long the home to city series games, known as the Big 5, fans for both teams were going wild.
Temple’s Anthony Lee tied the game on a layup and Pepper put the Owls ahead for good, 75-73, on a basket off a turnover.
In the season opener for both teams, the Owls built a 63-48 lead midway through the second before Penn took off.
Bill Cosby, who attended Temple, performed a stand-up routine after the game.
