
With less than five minutes remaining in the second half, things looked bleak for Temple, who was trailing East Carolina by seven points. Only four Owls had scored at that point and they were in desperate need of extra production for a chance to win the game.
That’s when forward Steve Settle III stepped up. Settle was ice-cold after going scoreless in the first half but the energy suddenly shifted. Settle drilled three three-point shots in the closing minutes of the second half, including a corner three that forced overtime.
Settle’s sizzling shooting gave Temple the momentum needed to pull away in overtime and win its second consecutive game. A pair of threes from Settle and guard Jamal Mashburn Jr. gave the Owls a five-point advantage that kept the Pirates at bay.
Temple (14-8, 6-3 American Athletic Conference) outlasted East Carolina (12-10, 4-5 AAC) 98-94 Saturday afternoon at The Liacouras Center. Temple has now won back-to-back overtime games for the first time since the 2022-23 season.
“Just really proud of this group,” said head coach Adam Fisher. “We’ve talked about depth and resiliency all year. Everybody contributed to us being successful.”
Temple’s defense started the game unfocused and ECU took full advantage. The Pirates capitalized on the Owls’ miscues and they jumped out to a 12-4 lead where it converted on its first two attempts from beyond the arc.
The Owls also struggled to match the Pirates’ offensive output. Mashburn scored Temple’s first four points by getting downhill and finishing at the rim. ECU’s zone coverage held the Owls in check to start as the Pirates notched four takeaways in the first 10 minutes and denied Temple from creating any offensive rhythm.
However, East Carolina suffered a two-minute scoring drought as its offense stagnated and allowed Temple to push the tempo. The Owls cut the Pirates’ lead to 14-11 behind the synergetic rotation of guards Mashburn, Quante Berry, Zion Stanford, Matteo Picarelli alongside forward Elijah Gray.
East Carolina returned to form and cracked open a 26-16 lead. Pirates’ forward C.J. Walker out-muscled Gray for easy layups and thrived finishing in the paint. Walker was the main source of offense with 14 points on 7-13 shooting from the field in the first half and a career-high 33 points on the night.
“We were trying to help a little bit and then [Walker] kicked out and they made a shot,” Fisher said. “We were like ‘Oh, should we now switch what we’re doing?’ I think we did some different things. [Stanford] did a really nice job over there, just trying to mix things up. He’s a heck of a player.”
Mashburn’s scoring prowess prevented East Carolina from taking full control of the game. He routinely torched his defender one-on-one, whether it was quick drives to the rim or stopping on a dime and pulling up from distance. Mashburn scored 11 of Temple’s first 20 points and finished with 32. He has now scored more than 30 points in three of his last five games.
The Pirates deployed full-court presses to close out the half, which restricted the Owls from getting their offense set. Neither team found success while trying to score, but East Carolina held on for a 33-26 halftime lead.
Stanford replaced guard Aiden Tobiason in the starting lineup to open the second half. The move immediately paid off as Mashburn found Stanford for an easy spot-up three. Having Stanford and Berry on the floor at once lessened the pressure on Mashburn.
“We just needed a little spark,” Fisher said. “I thought going to a little bit of an older guy maybe helped rebounding a little bit. But again, Aiden was also really good and maybe it takes a little pressure off him to watch for a couple minutes.”
Berry joined Mashburn in the double-digit points club when he knocked down a three to put the score at 43-37. He was able to open the floor, which helped Temple in keeping the game in reach. However, Walker continued to keep ECU in front, dominating the Owls’ inferior front-court.

A mid-range jumper from Stanford cut the Pirates’ lead to 52-47, but the Owls’ inability to secure rebounds and committing avoidable fouls prevented them from tying the game. Temple put East Carolina in the bonus eight minutes into the second half and allowed 15 offensive rebounds that were translated into 18 points.
While the Pirates’ zone defense gave the Owls trouble in the first half, they had a solution in the form of Stanford with 15 of his 19 points coming in the second half. The guard attacked ECU’s weak spots, drilling jumpers and attacking the rim with ease. A fast-break layup from Stanford cut East Carolina’s lead to 59-58 amidst a 6-0 run.
Both teams continued to trade punches between Mashburn attacking the rim and Walker overpowering mismatches. Temple wasn’t able to adequately send help and when it tried to play zone, it allowed a back-door cut for Pirates’ guard Jordan Riley and East Carolina pushed its lead back to 70-66.
A turnover from Pirates guard RJ Felton gave Temple a chance to take the lead with 43 seconds left in the game. Mashburn attempted a contested mid-range jumper but it was off the mark. Felton missed a potential game-winning shot and an overtime period was needed with the score stuck at 76.
The Owls picked up right where they left off in overtime, as Mashburn and Settle each rang in three pointers, which put them up 82-77 a minute into overtime. That’s when the Owls’ foul trouble came back to haunt them. East Carolina cut the lead to 84-81 as three of its first five points in the extra period came from the foul line.
“I have so much confidence with [Settle], no matter if he’s 0-5 [from the field] or 5-5, it doesn’t matter,” Mashburn said. “I see him playing every single day and he’s a terrific player. He’s really a key piece for us and him being an older guy. I can trust him with anything.”
Matters were looking shaky for the Owls, but with great composure, Berry coveted on a pair of inside shots off the dribble and Mashburn repeatedly got to the line. The duo played the entire 45 minutes and accounted for 10 of Temple’s 22 points in overtime.
Temple will look to improve its road record when it travels to face South Florida (11-10, 4-4 AAC) on Feb. 6 at 7 p.m.
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