Temple was able to maintain their lead throughout the entire second half, despite a last-stick effort from Clemson, who was able to cut the lead to 4 with under two minutes to play.
The Owls historically live or die by the three ball, and they were able to knock down 10 from behind the arc. Even though they were able to hit 10 threes, they only shot 35% from behind the arc and 37% from the field. Josh Brown and Alani Moore each contributed three 3s. Brown ended with 13 points and Moore with 12.
In the Owl’s’ first two tournament matchups, they only saw big performances from Quinton Rose, Shizz Alston, and Obi Enechionyia. Their matchup against Clemson showed a rounder performance from Temple as a whole. Five Owls scored in double digits. Alston led with 14 points, followed by Brown with 13, Enechionyia and Moore with 12, and Rose rounded it out with 10 points. Quinton Rose recorded his first double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. He also led all Owls with 4 assists. Enechionyia went on to win Gildan Charleston Classic MVP averaging 15.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, and 5 assist per game.
This is the first time the Owls have won the Gildan Classic in their third appearance. Aside from their victory in the 2016 NIT Tip-Off Tournament, where they went on to beat two ranked opponents in WVU and Florida St., this is the first regular season tournament victory for the Owls since the 1998-1999 season. Temple is starting off 3-0, which is their hottest start since the 2012-2013 season where they went on to a 6-0 start.
Temple will have a 6 day break to prepare for their next matchup and first Big 5 contest against La Salle. Tip off is set for 5 o’clock on November 26th.
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