After a scoreless first half, Devin Coleman scored 15 points, helping the Owls (1-1) defeated the University of Minnesota, 75-70, Thursday in the opening round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
After shooting 0 of 5 in the first half, the senior guard knocked down four second-half shots—including three 3-pointers. Coleman scored a career-high 19 points last Friday in a 91-67 loss to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Veteran’s Classic in Annapolis, Maryland.
Senior forward Jaylen Bond responded from scoring two points against North Carolina, netting 19 points Thursday on 8-of-12-shooting. The senior captain also added a game-high eight rebounds.
In his first game of the season, sophomore forward Obi Enechionyia scored 14 points, eight in the first half, after missing last Friday’s game due to an ankle injury.
With 8:20 seconds remaining, the Golden Gophers took a 56-50 lead on a floater from senior forward Joey King after the Owls led by as many as eight points in the first 12 minutes of the half.
Two possessions later, Coleman knocked down his second 3-pointer of the game, and freshman guard Trey Lowe converted an and-one, sparking a 10-4 run capped off by a layup from Bond with 4:36 left in the half to regain the lead for the remainder of the game.
Minnesota trimmed the Owls’ lead to 71-68 with 27 seconds remaining, but senior guard Josh Brown converted on 4-of-4 free throws to seal the game for Temple. The senior guard was scoreless on 0-for-4-shooting prior to the free throws after scoring five points against the Tar Heels.
Freshman guard Levan Shawn Alston, Jr. dished out four assists and committed zero turnovers in 11 minutes of action. Lowe finished the game with a career-high nine points and four rebounds.
The Owls, who led 31-26 at halftime, trailed 17-13 with nine minutes remaining in the first half and tied the game at 19 on a 3-pointer from Enechionyia, one the the squad’s five made 3-pointers in the first half.
Enechionyia knocked down his second 3-pointer of the half 46 seconds later to give the Owls a 22-19 lead. The sophomore forward finished the half with nine points.
For the game, the Owls shot 38 percent from the floor, their second game in a row shooting less than 40 percent from the field. The squad also knocked down 10 3-pointers on 22 shots.
After being outrebounded by 17 against North Carolina, the Owls and Golden Gophers grabbed 36 rebounds.
Temple also forced 11 turnovers, while turning the ball over eight times, seven of which came in the second half. The Owls also dished out 17 assists. The squad has 30 assists in its first two games.
The Owls will play the winner of Butler, the No. 22 team in the AP Top 25 Poll, and Missouri State University Friday at 1 p.m.
Michael Guise can be reached at michael.guise@temple.edu or on Twitter @Michael_Guise
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