With eight minutes left in the second half, guard Quante Berry drilled a three-point shot to push Temple’s lead against Rice to seven. It looked like Temple was going to keep a stranglehold on the game but instead, the lead completely evaporated. By the three-minute mark, Rice held a one-point lead and Temple was in complete disarray.
It looked like the downward spiral was going to continue until Temple’s Achilles heel became its biggest strength. The Cherry and White have struggled to contain the glass all season and have lost the rebound battle in five of its six losses. However, Temple’s offensive rebounding down the stretch proved to be the deciding factor.
Temple notched 11 offensive rebounds in the second half, which turned into 11 second-chance points. The critical second chances allowed Temple to draw contact off put-back attempts, creating enough separation to force Rice to intentionally foul for the final minute. Temple sealed the deal with nine made free throws in the final minute.
Temple (10-6, 2-1 American Athletic Conference) narrowly defeated Rice (11-6, 2-2 AAC) 73-70 Saturday afternoon at the Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston. Temple outrebounded Rice 47-37 after losing the rebound battle in the first half.
Temple started the game on a 6-0 run but quickly trailed 11-8 after a cold streak. They failed to score for three minutes and Rice took full advantage. Temple constantly settled for contested mid-range shots and misfired on five of its first 10 shot attempts.
Rice ran off nine unanswered points as Temple’s defense allowed them to score in the paint with ease. Guard Jamal Mashburn Jr. scored six of Temple’s first 10 points but only connected on two of his first five shot attempts as he was swarmed by multiple defenders.
Temple regained its composure after receiving aid from its bench, a constant theme this time. The Cherry and White spun off a 10-0 run and regained the lead at 20-13. Forward Elijah Gray converted on a series of layups and guard Matteo Picarelli canned a spot-up corner three created by Mashburn.
The Cherry and White cracked open an 11-point lead, its largest of the first half during a 17-3 run. Temple’s stifling defense sent Rice into a scramble and they couldn’t recover from Temple’s double-teams, shooting 33% from the field and 22% from three in the first half.
Despite Temple’s defensive effort, it couldn’t secure the glass, which has been a common theme this season. Rice corralled nine offensive boards in the first half, which it converted into 14 points and prevented Temple from taking full control.
Temple endured another scoreless stretch and failed to get a bucket for nearly four minutes, which enabled Rice to go on a 10-0 run to tie the game at 27. Temple failed to create anything as the offense reverted to stagnancy.
Temple regained its composure in the closing minutes of the first half. Mashburn scored five consecutive points which helped the Cherry and White regain a 35-31 lead at halftime. Mashburn was the only player in a Temple jersey to score more than six points through the first 20 minutes.
Temple was searching for someone to take some offensive pressure off Mashburn. Forward Babatunde Durodola stepped into that role as he dominated the interior with physicality. He scored four of Temple’s first eight points to open the second half.
However, Temple still wasn’t able to fully break away from Rice. Temple was unable to establish an offensive rhythm while Rice resiliently attacked the rim in semi-transition. Forty-two of Rice’s 70 points came from the paint.
Rice cut its deficit to just two points at 50-48 as the Cherry and White suffered through yet another scoring drought. Without Mashburn on the floor, Temple struggled to generate opportunities and drove into a clogged paint and didn’t score for three minutes.
Temple’s aggressiveness denied Rice from taking complete control of the game. Temple looked to apply pressure on Rice’s interior defense with a series of drives that often drew contact. The Cherry and White shot 23-32 from the foul line with 25 attempts coming in the second half.
A pull-up jumper from guard Trae Broadnax gave Rice its first lead since nearly seven minutes into the first half at 59-58. Rice remained intent on getting in the paint, whether it was drives off screens or post-ups, it got through a spiraling Temple defense.
There weren’t many offensive fireworks in the final two minutes of the game. Temple applied double coverage to combat Rice’s post play which proved to be successful. However, Temple’s offense wasn’t able to get going as Mashburn went cold down the stretch.
The Cherry and White’s final 11 points came from the foul line. Durodola and guard Shane Dezonie, who finished with a career-high 15 rebounds, came up with vital offensive rebounds that led to free throws to put Temple up 64-61.
Berry pushed the pace after Broadnax misfired on a jumper and Rice intentionally fouled him off the fast-break. Berry knocked down both foul shots to put the Cherry and White up 66-61 and from there, Rice played the foul game.
Temple missed eight free throws in the second half, with three of them coming in the final minute. Missed opportunities turned into defensive lapses which allowed Rice to cut Temple’s lead to 71-70 with two seconds remaining to play. But Mashburn’s two made free throws was the icing on the cake for a bounce-back victory.
Temple will return to The Liacouras Center to face No.19 Memphis (13-3, 3-0 AAC) on Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. for the annual White Out Night.
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