Owls end two-game skid with double overtime win

Temple Men’s Basketball defeated Charlotte 90-89 behind guard Jamal Mashburn Jr.’s 34 points.

Temple Men's Basketball guard Jamal Mashburn Jr. scored a career-high 34 points to help the Owls beat Charlotte in double overtime. | NILI SCHREIBMAN / THE TEMPLE NEWS

Midway through the first half, Temple led Charlotte by 13 points and seemed to be in prime position to coast to a stress-free win. However, the 49ers ripped off a sudden 17-2 run for their first lead of the night. 

The game turned into a free throw battle in the final two and a half minutes of regulation and neither team was able to pull out in front, sending the game to overtime. 

The overtime period continued to be a game of free throws, and despite Owls’ guard Quante Berry’s seven points, a second overtime was needed to decide a winner.  

Temple guard Jamal Mashburn Jr. was fouled with two seconds remaining in the second overtime with the score tied. He missed his first shot but made the second to reach a career-high 34 points. 49ers’ forward Giancarlo Rosado sent off a shot before the buzzer sounded but it hit the rim to give the Owls the win. 

Temple (13-8, 5-3 American Athletic Conference) defeated Charlotte (8-13, 1-7 AAC) 90-89 in double overtime Wednesday night at The Liacouras Center. The Owls went eight minutes without scoring but shot 89% from the foul line to help seal the victory. 

“I’m really proud of our guys for their resiliency,” said head coach Adam Fisher. “We could have folded multiple times, whether it be injuries, foul trouble, they score at the end and send it again. There’s so many times this group could have folded, but instead, they’re resilient. They keep coming, they keep fighting and it’s a great credit to the entire locker room.”

Temple forward Steve Settle III jumped out of the gate with the first five points of the game. He made all of his shot attempts in the first half, including a three-pointer that started the game’s action. 

Mashburn followed Settle’s action up with Temple’s next four points. Mashburn continued his role of primary scorer and was the only Owl in the first half to reach double figures with 10 points. However, the guard struggled getting his shots to drop, shooting 3-8 from the field and relying on his four free throws to add points to the scoreboard. 

Temple outrebounded the 49ers in the first half, with forward Babatunde Durodola carrying the weight. Through the first five minutes of play, Durodola outreboundedCharlotte 5-4 all by himself. The freshman continued cleaning up the glass and finished the night with six despite leaving early with an injury. 

The Owls found a groove and took a 10-point lead midway through the first half at 24-14. Temple’s defense was also hot, denying the 49ers to score more than three points in a row and pushed its lead to as many as 13 points. 

Charlotte struggled sinking threes and didn’t make its first one until 12 minutes of play. Temple quickly responded with guards Aiden Tobiason and Shane Dezonie each making a shot from downtown. However, the 49ers gained steam from there. 

Charlotte made four consecutive shots from the three-point line to fuel a 17-2 run. The buckets gave the 49ers their first lead of the game with more than two minutes remaining before halftime. Dezonie ended the half with a three-point play to send Temple into the locker room leading 37-36. 

Both teams traded baskets to open the second half with neither side able to break away, and the score was tied at 46 after five minutes of action. The Owls found a spark of energy after a block by center Mohamed Keita. Dezonie was fouled on a jumper and Settle recorded another steal and finished off the play with a dunk. 

“[Keita’s] been awesome,” Fisher said. “It’s great to have a seven footer down there. Last year we had a six five guy trying to do that. So it’s great to have someone protecting the rim and give us the minutes he’s given. He’s been phenomenal in the last few games.”

Mashburn left his scoring struggles in the first half and scored a career-high 34 points on the night. The guard shot 10-22 from the field and 3-5 from deep. He made a three to give Temple a five-point lead at 58-53 but the team’s offensive struggles started up again after that. 

Temple endured a scoring drought that lasted more than four minutes midway through the second half and the 49ers capitalized. Charlotte took the two-point advantage at 60-58 thanks to a 7-0 run. 

Keita ended the 49ers’ run with a free throw but it did not slow Charlotte down, and forward Robert Braswell IV recorded back-to-back dunks. The game turned into a free throw battle with two and a half minutes remaining in regulation. Settle and guard Zion Stanford blocked shots from Rosado and Mashburn grabbed the rebound. 

“Everybody’s minutes were so important at that moment,” Fisher said. “Our guys know you have to be ready on any given night. And I think our guys were ready to go tonight.”

Mashburn was fouled but made both his free throws to tie the game at 69. Guard Nik Graves sent off a jumper in time but it didn’t fall and an overtime period was needed. 

The overtime period kicked off with five free throws before Berry scored five straight points to take a four-point lead. Graves scored four points to tie the game at 76 with 16 seconds left. Berry stepped up again and made a jumper but 49ers’ guard Kylan Blackmon scored off a fast break layup, sending the game into a second overtime. 

Mashburn and Stanford took over the scoring responsibilities, being the only Owls to score in the second overtime period. But it didn’t hurt Temple as its 12 combined points in the final five minutes were enough to hold on for the win.

“I just try my best, just to stay composed at all times,” Mashburn said. “Not just with basketball but with life. Life is going to throw things at you. We didn’t expect this to be a double overtime game, but it was so we had to just roll with the punches and just respond.”

Temple will look to make it two in a row when they stay at home to face East Carolina (12-9, 4-4 AAC) on Feb. 1 at 2 p.m.

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