Reeling from its loss to North Texas on Jan. 23, Temple again faced an uphill battle from the opening tip against UTSA on Saturday. The Owls were looking for a bounce back performance but instead the Roadrunners stormed out the gate and took a 15-point advantage nearly five minutes into the game.
Aside from the game’s first 13 seconds, the Owls never held the lead during the game. Temple found some momentum and fought back after being down as many as 16 points when a layup from guard Quante Berry tied the game at 74 with less than four minutes remaining of action.
That was the closest the Owls got to securing the win as their underwhelming first half came back to haunt them down the stretch. Despite shooting 56% from the field in the second half, Temple’s offense ran out of gas.
Temple (12-8, 4-3 American Athletic Conference) fell to UTSA (9-10, 3-4 AAC) 88-79 Saturday afternoon at The Convocation Center in San Antonio, Texas. The Owls have now lost back-to-back games after their three-game win streak.
UTSA got off to an electric start by jumping out to a 14-4 lead four minutes into the game. The Roadrunners converted on five of their first seven attempts from the field, while the Owls misfired on five of their first six shot attempts.
UTSA pushed the tempo off the Owls’ missed shots, which became the catalyst for its early offensive explosion. Temple continuously settled for shots to begin the game, which stagnated its offense. The Owls’ offense never got into a rhythm and were playing catch-up from the opening tip.
The Owls’ defensive output didn’t outweigh its offensive dysfunction, as they struggled on both sides of the court. The Owls were late while closing out on UTSA’s shots and the Roadrunners made the most of the chances, hitting six of their first eight attempts from deep.
Temple found itself in a 16-point hole and was in desperate need of a boost to get back into the game. The Owls increased their defensive effort and used that energy to attack the rim. The efforts were a success and Temple hit five of six field goals in the stretch to cut UTSA’s lead to 28-16.
UTSA guard Primo Spears entered the day as the nation’s seventh leading scorer and Temple made a concerted effort to contain him. The focus allowed guard Raekwon Horton to wreak havoc on the Owls for the first 20 minutes. He posted 15 points on 6-10 shooting from the field at halftime and finished with 20 points.
The Owls’ half-court offense was in a state of chaos when the Roadrunners switched to a zone. Temple couldn’t generate any life on the offensive end and its ball movement suffered. However, the Owls’ improved defensive coverage disrupted UTSA’s offensive flow and Temple was able to cut the Roadrunners’ lead to 43-35 at halftime.
Guards Jamal Mashburn Jr. and Zion Stanford combined for 19 points through the first 20 minutes. Temple’s poor three-point shooting kept it from getting any closer as it shot 17% from beyond the arc compared to UTSA’s 53%.
Temple went on a 9-0 run nearly two minutes into the second half, which shortened the Roadrunners’ lead to 48-47. Forward Steve Settle III led the effort, scoring four of Temple’s nine unanswered points.
However, UTSA countered with a 10-0 push of its own, which extended its lead to 58-47 as Temple’s offense once again dried out. Roadrunners guard Damari Monsanto scored 11 of UTSA’s first 15 second-half points.
Temple’s offense had not yielded any consistent results, but Mashburn’s ability to get to the rim and draw contact kept it afloat. Still, UTSA’s lights-out perimeter shooting prevented the Owls from doing serious damage and the Roadrunners held on to a 70-63 lead.
The energy suddenly shifted when UTSA endured an almost four-minute stretch where it couldn’t convert on a shot attempt, allowing Temple to tie the game at 74. Stanford and Settle’s aggressiveness in the paint played a key role in the comeback.
A layup from Roadrunners’ guard Marcus Millender regained UTSA a 76-74 lead that the Owls weren’t able to overcome. Temple’s offense crumbled as it scored just five points in the final four minutes of the game which led to its second straight loss.
Temple will be back in action at The Liacouras Center to take on Charlotte (8-12, 1-6 AAC) on Jan. 29, at 7 p.m.
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