Coming off a loss to East Carolina on Jan. 10, Temple hoped to get back to .500 in American Athletic Conference play against a hot North Texas team that had won its last four games.
However, the Owls struggled to find their way on offense, making only eight total field goals by the end of the first half. North Texas went on a 9-3 run to close out the opening half, giving them a 10-point lead that they never looked back from.
Temple (8-9, 1-3 American Athletic Conference) fell to North Texas (10-5, 3-0 American Athletic Conference) 69-51 Saturday night at UNT Coliseum in Denton, Texas. North Texas extended its home game win streak to 16 straight in ‘The Super Pit’.
Temple guard Hysier Miller, the team’s leading scorer on the season, had a rough day shooting the basketball. He was 2-10 from the field and missed all four shots from three-point range, finishing with just eight points. Guard Jordan Riley led the team with 13 points on an inefficient 4-12 shooting.
The Owls defense didn’t have an answer for one of the top three-point shooting teams in the AAC, as North Texas shot 42 percent from three-point range on 8-19 shooting.
The Owls’ offense played an underwhelming first half, shooting just 8-30 from the field. Guard Jahlil White particularly struggled, shooting 1-7 in the half.
North Texas’ defense seemed to bother Temple, preventing the Owls from making drives and blocking passing lanes. This caused the Owls to commit six turnovers in the first half.
North Texas made key shots and found their way to the free throw line 12 times in the first half, allowing them to take a 32-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Temple made a better offensive effort in the second half. White and Riley found a rhythm after struggling in the first, combining for 20 of the Owls’ 29 second-half points.
However, the Mean Green knocked down four three-pointers in the second half compared to Temple, which went without a single three-pointer in the half, missing each of its seven attempts.
Temple’s defense could not stop the Mean Green, as North Texas pushed their lead to as much as 19 in the second half. The Owls allowed an opponent season-high 47 percent from the field.
North Texas forward Aaron Scott and guard Jason Edwards combined for 31 of North Texas’ points, shooting a combined 5-13 from three-point range, and leading the team down the stretch to put Temple away.
The Owls will look to get back on track as they continue their Texas road trip against SMU (11-5, 2-1 AAC) on Jan. 16 at 8 p.m. in Dallas.
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