During pregame warm-ups, it was apparent that Temple was going to be short-handed against Division II Holy Family. Guards Jameel Brown and Shane Dezonie were in street clothes, leaving Temple without two of its sparks off the bench.
However, Temple had it covered and the rest of the team stepped up in their place. Despite the Tigers’ constant attempts to make the game close, the Owls never relented and went on an offensive surge.
Temple had six players finish scoring in double-digits as the Owls marched to a 29-point victory to end a two-game skid.
Temple (5-4, 0-0 American Athletic Conference) cruised by Holy Family (5-4, 0-0 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference) 110-81 Tuesday night at The Liacouras Center. The win marked the first season since 1970 that Temple has hit 100 points in multiple games.
“First off, happy to be back home in The Liacouras Center,” said head coach Adam Fisher. “We talk about protecting home court, [the win] puts us at 3-0 at home. We didn’t guard the way we wanted to. We know that we have to tighten up our defense.”
Guard Zion Stanford carried the offensive load for the Owls early on. They fell behind 6-2 early on but rattled off 10 consecutive points to jump in front. Stanford ended the night with a career-high 25 points, which breaks his career record that he set less than a month ago.
It didn’t take long for the Owls to crack open a double-digit lead amid a 19-5 run, largely due to the burst guard Quante Berry provided off the bench. Berry missed the Owls’ game against Villanova on Dec. 7 due to a wrist injury but instantly picked up the team when he checked in Tuesday.
Berry notched six points in a 70-second span, displaying an ability to score at the rim and run the two-man game with forward Elijah Gray. Coming off the bench, Gray began the night by knocking down his first two shots from the three-point line and finished the game with 17 points.
Temple held Holy Family to just 14 points near the midway point of the first half. The Owls displayed great connectivity with switching off screens as well as playing physical defense in the paint. Berry provided a spark on the defensive end as well, recording five takeaways in the first 20 minutes of play.
The Tigers chipped away at Temple’s lead that once ballooned to as many as 29 points. Holy Family connected on a series of threes and easy looks in semi-transition and got within 10 points late in the first half, taking advantage of the Owls’ lackadaisical closeouts.
The scoring tandem of Stanford and guard Jamal Mashburn Jr. kept the Tigers at bay as Temple entered the second half with a 55-43 lead. The duo combined for 28 of the Owls’ 55 first-half points.
“Being on the court, trying to make the right plays, not trying to be over-aggressive, or trying to be non aggressive,” Stanford said. “Going out, just making the right play every time I touch it.”
At the beginning of the second half, the Owls ran more pick-and-rolls with Mashburn and forward Babatunde Durodola. Mashburn’s ability to score at the rim resulted in defenders gravitating towards the paint, which led to two open corner threes for Tobiason that he capitalized on.
Temple regained its defensive edge with aggressive help rotations and switch coverage, which forced Holy Family into contested shots from a variety of areas. The Owls outscored the Tigers 17-8 in the first four minutes of the second half and took their largest lead of the game at 21 points.
Temple went on cruise control for the rest of the game and Holy Family had no response. The Owls went on a 17-1 run for the final five minutes and held the Tigers without a field goal to earn a bounce back win.
Guard Aidan Tobiason was the lone bright spot in Temple’s blowout loss against Villanova and earned praise from Fisher after the game. His playing time had been sparse all year but he was in the starting lineup after recording five steals against the Wildcats.
The freshman continued his performance Tuesday with an 18-point outing. He was also a pest on defense, racking up four steals on the night.
“I feel like I played with high energy,” Tobiason said. “I do feel like I have to kind of figure out my role in defense. I’m a good guy that can pick up the ball full court, but also feel like I have to get better at the defensive coverages that we do.”
The Owls’ win marks the last game before returning to full strength. Temple was without assistant coach Chris Clark and guard Lynn Greer III due to suspensions but both will return Sunday.
Temple will be back in action against Hofstra (8-3, 0-0 Colonial Athletic Association) on Dec. 15 at noon.
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