Temple Men’s Basketball could not take a lead against Ole Miss for the first 38 minutes of Wednesday afternoon’s game at The Liacouras Center. The Owls made runs and came close at times, cutting their deficit to as little as two points, but the Rebels had answers for everything.
With just less than a minute left in the game, Temple guard Hysier Miller sank two free throws and gave his squad a one-point lead. All Temple had to do was hang on for 99 seconds.
However, the Owls’ lack of depth caught up with them. The team was missing two of its top rebounders and defenders in guard Jahlil White and forward Steve Settle III and could not contain Rebels guard Allen Flanigan, who hit two free throws with nine seconds left for the win.
Temple (3-2, 0-0 American Athletic Conference) fell to Ole Miss (5-0, 0-0 Southeastern Conference) 77-76. The Owls could not keep up with the Rebels for all 40 minutes.
“Heck of a college basketball game,” said Temple head coach Adam Fisher. “Proud of our team. I thought we fought, we played hard and we executed. Our energy put us in a position to win this game.”
Miller was the Owls’ points leader, finishing the game with 21 points on 7-21 shooting and added three rebounds and three assists.
Flanigan’s athleticism and ability to shoot the ball made it difficult for the Owls to guard him. He led the Rebels with 26 points and added seven assists and eight rebounds.
While his stats may not show it, Ole Miss forward Jamarion Sharp was a key factor against the undersized Owls. Sharp’s 7-foot-5 frame drew a lot of attention in the paint and made it difficult for the Owls to rebound in his limited time on the floor. He finished with five points and three rebounds in 17 minutes.
“It was just intense,” said Temple forward Sam Hofman. “Trying to be physical, doing everything I could to box out and make it a battle down there. They were taller than us, and they had more size. I think we had a lot of grit and we played really hard down there.”
The Owls struggled on defense in the first half without Settle and White and communication was a struggle amid the rotation of different players.
Ole Miss had multiple open shots early due to Temple’s miscommunication and missed assignments. Ole Miss shot a staggering 53 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range in the first half.
“We wanted to make Ole Miss uncomfortable,” Fisher said. “Going into it we shared the game plan with our players and went over it a lot. ‘Here’s what we’re going to do, be ready, we’re going to communicate, we’re going to switch a lot on the fly.’ Every four minutes we were trying to do something a little bit different to them.”
Temple started the game slow offensively, as well. The Owls shot just 33 percent from the field through the first 13 minutes of play and had seven turnovers leading to seven Ole Miss points. The Owls found themselves in a 13-point deficit with seven minutes left in the half.
However, Temple found life late in the first half behind some tough baskets from Miller, which helped the team close out the half on a 10-3 run and trail just 38-33 at halftime.
Temple used the momentum to go toe-to-toe with the Rebels throughout the second half, cutting the Rebels’ lead all the way down and finally grabbing its first lead of the game with more than a minute left.
“We talk about it all the time, we’re going to compete,” Fisher said. “We’re going to play the right way and we’re going to get results. I’m proud of our guys. I thought we played hard.”
Temple held the lead until there were nine seconds left, but guard Zion Stanford fouled Flanigan and gave him two free throws, giving Ole Miss the one-point lead. Temple guard Quante Berry had an open look at a corner three-pointer with five seconds left but missed the shot as the Rebels secured the win.
Stanford and guard Jordan Riley made their first starts this season in place of Settle and White and stepped up in a big way in the loss.
Riley was a force defensively and finished with 10 points and seven rebounds, while Stanford had one of his best performances of the season with 14 points and seven rebounds.
“I thought Jordan was great,” Fisher said. “His energy and intensity on the defensive end was good, he got a couple of steals. He’s a great young man, and I was happy to see him come in start, and play the way he did.”
The Owls will look to bounce back when they take on La Salle (4-1, 0-0 Atlantic 10 Conference) at The Liacouras Center on Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. for a chance to play in the Big 5 Championship.
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