Bench contributes to big win for Temple men’s basketball

Jake Forrester led the team by scoring 17 points off the bench.

Sophomore forward Jake Forrester makes a basket during the Owls' game against Saint Joseph's University at the Liacouras Center on Dec. 10. | J.P. OAKES / THE TEMPLE NEWS

Sophomore forward Jake Forrester hung on the basket after making a dunk three minutes into the game to give Temple men’s basketball (7-2) a 3-0 lead over St. Joseph’s (2-9). 

Forrester was one of eight players to score points off the bench in Temple’s 108-61 win over the Hawks Tuesday evening. The Owls’ substitutes contributed 60 total points. 

Forrester led the team with 17 points, which included four dunks, during the first half. 

“It was really good to show what I can do, being out there,” Forrester said. He sat out the first four games of the season waiting for an NCAA waiver to permit him to play. 

Redshirt-junior guard Monty Scott and redshirt-freshman forward Arashma Parks also recorded double-digit points, scoring 10 points each. 

Freshman guard Josh Pierre-Louis led the substitutes with 25 minutes of action. Pierre-Louis spent more time on the court than his brother, junior guard Nate Pierre-Louis, and starting forward Justyn Hamilton. Josh Pierre-Louis scored nine points and added two assists. 

Nate Pierre-Louis said the team worked to share the ball more after their 64-54 loss to the University of Missouri (5-4) on Saturday.

“Sharing the ball is something I’ve been talking about all season and even in the summertime,” coach Aaron McKie said. “When we share the ball, we’re a much better team. When the ball starts to stick on one side of the floor we struggle. I thought we did a really good job of sharing the ball today.”

With three minutes, 13 seconds remaining in the game, no starting players remained on the court for the Owls. Senior forward Tim Waddington, sophomore guard Jasen West and senior guard Anto Keshgegian came on the floor for the first time this season. Senior center Damion Moore returned after missing six games due to an injury. Josh Pierre-Louis rounded out the five men on the court.  

“Behind the scenes, you know, those guys, they paid their dues and they deserved that right,” McKie said. “Obviously we had guys in front of them that have to get out there and play, but just [for] those guys to get the opportunity to step out on the floor and represent this university as part of the men’s basketball program, that means a lot to me.” 

Keshgegian and Moore scored two points each, with Waddington adding one point on a free-throw. 

Temple’s next game will be against the University of Miami (5-3, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, at 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 17. 

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*