Owls’ Cummings exorcises ‘demon’ in rematch

Kansas guard Frank Mason III (0) tries to slide by a screen chasing Temple guard Will Cummings (2) Monday at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA.

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Philadelphia ? Blurry-quick Temple senior guard Will Cummings referred to one play from a game in Allen Fieldhouse two seasons ago as a “demon,” that stuck with him. He exorcised it Monday night, leading the Owls to a 77-52 upset of No. 10 Kansas University at Wells Fargo Center.

“This was a big game for me mentally,” Cummings said after scoring 19 points on 5 of 8 shooting and four assists. “You could say you feel like you have a demon. I had a turnover two minutes left in the game at Kansas when I was a sophomore (in 69-62 loss for Temple). That’s kind of been on my mind since that game. It was a great thing to have my guys ready to get a win.”

Asked when it sunk in what the Owls had accomplished Monday night, Cummings said, “It sinks in when they rush the court, really. It happened my freshman year when we beat Duke. I really wanted it to happen again. I didn’t think they were going to rush the court. It was a great feeling to celebrate with the fans who stuck with us after the (9-22) season we had last year and they still come out to games.

“It was a great crowd tonight and we just wanted to give them something to celebrate and enjoy for the Christmas spirit.”

Jesse Morgan, a senior transfer from UMass, scored 17 points in his second game with the Owls.

“Nothing,” he said of whether any game at UMass compared to Monday’s upset. “Nothing close. Different atmosphere out there tonight.”

Temple coach Fran Dunphy appreciated the crowd as well.

“The student body was tremendous for us,” Dunphy said. “It’s nice to see they were here tonight when not in school.”

Small pockets of Kansas fans were greatly outnumbered by supporters of the home team Monday.

“Kansas fans are as good as it gets traveling,” Dunphy said. “(Five seasons ago) playing on campus, the house was probably 50/50. They kicked our butt. Tonight was our night to shine.”