What was seemingly a run away game for the Owls, quickly turned into the Owls running for their lives, trying to maintain their lead over DePaul. A lead that extended to as large as 25 in the second half. The Owls came into the second half in a daze. DeP
aul went on an 18-3 run to cut the lead all the way down to 7. They were able to cut it all the way down to 5 with under two minutes to play. Temple’s strong veteran play from Obi Enechionyia and Dan Dingle was not present in the final crucial minutes of the game. Enechionyia only scored 1 point in the last 11 minutes of the game, going 1-2 from the foul line. Enechionyia did still lead all Owl scorers, along side Shizz Alston with 15 points. Obi ended 7 rebounds and 1 assists, and Shizz Alston grabbed 7 rebounds and had 2 assists.
THE CHARITY STRIPE:
A huge advantage to the Owl’s game is their efficiency from the free throw line. Temple averages 13 made foul shots per game, and shoot roughly 70% from the line. They were able to go 80% from the line against DePaul, going 25-31. DePaul picked up their shooting from the free throw line in the second half. Temple at one point was 19-22, while DePaul was 19-27. DePaul took advantage of their foul shots late in the second half, and ended almost identical to Temple going 24-32.
CONNECTIVITY STRUGGLES:
Temple has typically run a seven-man roster throughout this season. Fran Dunphy opened the bench up and played a total of 10 players in their late morning matchup. Josh Brown and Damion Moore both recorded their season starter debuts. Damion Moore started over Ernest Aflakpui and Josh Brown reclaimed his point guard position over Alani Moore II. Brown held a serious impact over Temple’s dominance throughout the majority of the game. He fouled out with about half of the second half left to play. He scored 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists, and 7 steals. The connectivity of the team struggled when he fouled ou
t. Leaders like Obi and Dan Dingle seemed frazzled with the absence of Brown once again, and without the Alani Moore, who was seen nursing what seems to be an ankle injury. The veteran that did step up for the Owls was Mike Robbins. The senior walk on who has recorded minimal minutes over his career at Temple. He only scored 8 points, but he went 100% (3-3) from the field and 1-2 from the foul line. In the final minutes of the game he had a pivotal block, and a crucial defensive rebound that helped the Owls grind out a victory.
CATCH THEM NEXT:
The Owls are still on a role despite only being on a 1 game win streak. They have won 6 of their last 7 contests. They are back in action Tuesday December 13th, at 7:00 pm for their last Big 5 matchup of the season. Temple will be looking to upset no.1 Villanova at Villanova. This will be the second consecutive time that the Owls will be taking on the Wildcats when the Wildcats are top of the college basketball rankings.
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