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NEW YORK -- Little had gone right for the Temple Owls before they gathered around coach Fran Dunphy during a timeout. It would have been easy for them to lament their woes.Instead, as Shizz Alston Jr. recalled, their message to each other was cloaked in defiance.Were on a big stage, were not going out like this, Alston said after Temples 89-86 victory over No. 25 Florida State on Thursday in the first game of the NIT Season Tip-Off. We want to fight back.Quinton Rose scored 26 points, including two free throws with 2 seconds left. Alston Jr. added 22 points and Obi Enechionyia had 16 points and eight rebounds for the Owls (3-2).Dwayne Bacon had 22 points for the Seminoles (4-1). Jonathan Issac added 19 points. Xavier Rathan-Mayes had 11, and Terance Mann 10.Theyre so deep, Dunphy said about Florida State. So athletic. They can make shots, too.Trailing by 12 with 9:26 left, Temple went on a 15-2 run to take a 73-72 lead. The stretch began when Alston made a 3. That was followed by Roses putback, Enechionyias lay-in, two made free throws by Alston, and consecutive 3s from Alston and Damion Moore.The Owls were able to extend their advantage to 85-80 after Enechionyias made 3 with 3:18 left. But Trent Forrests lay-in with 77 seconds cut the deficit to one, 87-86.They spread the floor, Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said of Temples offensive approach in the second half. They were shooting the 3s and they spread the floor, did a great job of taking us off the dribble when they got to the foul line.Give them credit: They did what they had to do.Florida State had a chance to win, but Isaac air-balled a layup attempt with four seconds left. Roses two free throws sealed the win.We started making every shot we took, Dunphy said.BIG PICTURE:Temple: Coming off a berth in the NCAA Tournament, the Owls are looking for a repeat trip and a win over a Top 25 team is good for the resume. The biggest issue for Temple, though, will be its ability to defend well and, as Shizz Alston Jr. said, can the Owls win games comfortably?Florida State: Following five wins against lesser competition, Florida State took a step up in weight class and was fairly impressive for 30 minutes. However, college basketball games last 40. The Seminoles vaunted defense was broken down repeatedly by Temples guards and, as Leonard Hamilton noted, his team will get its fill of strong opposition once ACC play begins.POLL IMPLICATIONS:Temple: Despite the win, it is unlikely that the Owls will move into the Top 25. Temple had dropped close decisions to New Hampshire and UMass in its second and third games of the season.Florida State: During his postgame press conference, Leonard Hamilton stressed one game does not determine the outcome of a season. But it may -- and likely will -- cost the Seminoles their No. 25 ranking.NOTABLETemple: The National Invitation Tournament Tip-Off marks the sixth time in program history that the Owls participated in the early season event. Temples six appearances are tied with St. Johns for second most in tournament history; Arizona and Duke have made seven appearances apiece.Florida State: The first of two NIT Tip-Off games marked the first time since the third round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament that the Seminoles were a nationally ranked team. Following a 62-56 loss to Cincinnati in the third round, the Seminoles finished the season ranked 10th in the nation.QUOTABLEI think you can come up with a philosophical theory if you want to, but they just had a great night. They did a very good job. Im sure theyre hoping they shoot the ball that well for the remainder of the year. Im hoping we dont defend as poorly as we did tonight and I dont think we will, Florida States Leonard Hamilton, in response to a question regarding his concern about the Seminoles defense.UP NEXTTemple: Will meet West Virginia in championship game Friday.Florida State: Will meet Illinois in the consolation game Friday.---More AP college basketball at http://collegebasketball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25 Mike Gesicki Womens Jersey . 8 Kansas to a 64-63 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday night. The freshman from Vaughan, Ont. Mark Clayton Womens Jersey . John Lucas, signed as a mentor for rookie Trey Burke, showed he can score if required, scoring 12 points of his 16 points in the second quarter as Utah built an 18-point lead. http://www.authenticdolphinspro.com/Minkah-fitzpatrick-dolphins-jersey/ . -- Ty Montgomery had 290 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, and fifth-ranked Stanford held on to beat No. Bob Griese Womens Jersey . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. Reshad Jones Youth Jersey . - NASCAR announced a 33-race schedule for the 2014 Nationwide Series with virtually no changes from this years slate. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Boise States path to reaching the Mountain West title game boils down to this: Beat Air Force, root for New Mexico.All we can control is playing Air Force, Broncos coach Bryan Harsin said.Thats enough of a handful right there, considering No. 20 Boise State (10-1, 6-1 MW, No. 19 CFP) has dropped two straight to the Falcons (8-3, 4-3) and their tricky triple-option offense heading into Fridays game.Should that happen, the Broncos need to hope the Lobos can upset Mountain Division-leading Wyoming on Saturday.Its not about what anybody else is doing. Its really about us, Harsin said during his news conference. Weve got a lot to prepare for this week.Recently, the Falcons have given the Broncos fits. Boise State doesnt lose often and rarely to the same team two years in a row. Rarer still, to the same team three straight seasons. Air Force would join Idaho (1982-93) and Nevada (1996-98) as the only teams in Boise States rich history to beat the Broncos in at least three straight years, according to the school.Thats why the Broncos have been eyeing this game all season.We knew we finished with Air Force, knew it was a team we wanted to go play, Harsin said. We get to take action, control what we can control.Air Force coach Troy Calhoun believes this version of Boise State is one of the top teams the Falcons have faced in a while, ranking up there with the 2010 Texas Christian squad led by Andy Dalton, the 2008 Utah team and last years Michigan State squad.This group has every bit of the same makeup, Calhoun said. This is a team thats one of the 10 best teams in college football.Especially with Jeremy McNichols in the backfield. The explosive junior has rushed for 1,575 yards this season and 22 TDs. Hes also caught 32 passes for 450 yards and four scores.Quite frankly, hes one of the guys who should be the four or five contenders for the Heisman Trophy, Calhoun said.Harsin seconds that opinion of McNichols, who largely flies under the radar on the national scene.How is this guy not in the conversation with everybody else? HHarsin lamented.dddddddddddd I dont know what else from an offensive standpoint a guy can do to not have his name thrown in there with all these other backs.To boot, hes on a pretty good football team, too, that has a pretty good record right now.Here are things to know heading into the regular season finale:STOPPING THE OPTION: The Broncos will try to slow down that Air Force run game without junior linebacker Joe Martarano, whos sidelined with a broken leg. That means more responsibilities for linebackers Darren Lee and Blake Whitlock as they try to neutralize an offense that rolled up 607 total yards in a 37-30 win last season.TAKING OFFENSE: A little Mountain West trivia -- the trio of quarterback Brett Rypien, wide receiver Thomas Sperbeck and McNichols are the first from the same team in conference history to turn in consecutive seasons of 3,000 yards passing, 1,000 yards receiving and 1,000 yards rushing, respectively.SENIOR DAY: Calhoun said it seemed like such a short time ago that he was having dinner at the home of Roland Ladipo, trying to recruit him to Air Force. Or chatting on the couch with Weston Steelhammer. They are part of 32 seniors playing their final game at Falcon Stadium.Its a strong group -- the way they approach the practice field, the weight room, meetings, Calhoun said.STEELHAMMER VS. MCNICHOLS: McNichols was the leagues offensive player of the week after rushing for 206 yards and four TDs against UNLV. Steelhammer earned defensive player of the week honors after leading the team with 10 tackles and picking off two passes in a win at San Jose State.SCORING MACHINES: Air Force and Boise State have gone a combined 545 games without being shutout. The last time the Falcons were blanked was Dec. 31, 1992, in a 13-0 loss to Mississippi. For the Broncos, it was Sept. 27, 1997, in a 58-0 loss to Washington State.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-Top25 ' ' '