Temple University Athletics
Saturday, December 6
The Palestra
12:00 p.m.
Temple University
5-3
58
vs
57
La Salle
4-4
1
2
F
La Salle
29
28
57
Temple
35
23
58
Quenton DeCosey
Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University
Men's Basketball Holds Off La Salle in Big 5 Thriller, 58-57
12.6.14 | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA (Palestra) - Strong free-throw shooting proved to be the critical difference in a thrilling, 58-57 win for Temple men's basketball against Big 5 rival La Salle on Saturday afternoon. The Owls (5-3, 2-1) hit 18-of-20 at the stripe, the last two of which were enough to keep them in the lead despite a buzzer-beating three-pointer by La Salle (4-4, 0-2).
Quenton DeCosey hit 8-of-9 at the line and 3-of-3 from behind the arc on his way to a game-high 19 points to lead the Owls. Jaylen Bond was impressive off the bench, scoring 11 points, grabbing five boards, recording a career-high five steals and dishing a career-high four assists.
The Owls never led by more than two possessions in the second half, and the Explorers cut the margin to two on a couple of occasions in the final few minutes. There were some tense possessions in the final two minutes of the game, and the Owls led just 56-54 most of that stretch as both teams came up empty from the field.
Josh Brown grabbed a crucial rebound with 11 seconds left, and then hit 2-of-2 at the line in a 1-and-1 situation after being fouled. Obi Enechionyia got a second big rebound for Temple at the other end, and although he missed the front end of his 1-and-1 chance, the four-point lead for Temple was enough to win the game. Khalid Lewis hit a last-second long three-point attempt for the final tally of 58-57.
Temple hit seven of its first 13 shots in the first half and led by as many as 12 less than eight minutes in. DeCosey reached double figures in scoring before the midway point, and finished with 15 first-half points to fuel the Owls.
The Owls had 12-point leads on two occasions in the opening period, but both times La Salle was able to cut the margin to six or seven. Temple was shooting over 50 percent until the final five minutes, and had its second 12-point lead on a layup by Bond at 5:05, 34-22.
Over that final stretch, Temple's only point was a DeCosey free throw as the Owls missed their final four attempts from the field. The Explorers closed the half on a 7-1 run, including a jumper at the buzzer, to cut Temple's lead to six by halftime, 35-29.
The Owls' shooting woes continued over the first few minutes of the second half, as La Salle extended its run to 13-1 before Temple finally broke a nine-minute field goal drought. The Explorers tied the game at 35-35 on a pair of free throws at 17:34, but a Mark Williams tip-in at the 16-minute mark put the Owls back in the lead.
Just over a minute later, La Salle took its first lead since the opening minute when Cleon Roberts hit a long three-pointer, but the lead would be short-lived before Temple regained it.
With four more points in a row from Williams, Temple got the lead back and held it for the rest of the contest, but the Explorers were never out of it, with the Owls' largest lead being six.
Jerrell Wright scored 15 points to lead La Salle, and Steve Zach grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.
Temple will be back in action at home on Wednesday, Dec. 10, taking on Towson at 8:00 p.m.
Box Score l Photo Gallery | Dunphy Interview | Players Interview
Quenton DeCosey hit 8-of-9 at the line and 3-of-3 from behind the arc on his way to a game-high 19 points to lead the Owls. Jaylen Bond was impressive off the bench, scoring 11 points, grabbing five boards, recording a career-high five steals and dishing a career-high four assists.
The Owls never led by more than two possessions in the second half, and the Explorers cut the margin to two on a couple of occasions in the final few minutes. There were some tense possessions in the final two minutes of the game, and the Owls led just 56-54 most of that stretch as both teams came up empty from the field.
Josh Brown grabbed a crucial rebound with 11 seconds left, and then hit 2-of-2 at the line in a 1-and-1 situation after being fouled. Obi Enechionyia got a second big rebound for Temple at the other end, and although he missed the front end of his 1-and-1 chance, the four-point lead for Temple was enough to win the game. Khalid Lewis hit a last-second long three-point attempt for the final tally of 58-57.
Temple hit seven of its first 13 shots in the first half and led by as many as 12 less than eight minutes in. DeCosey reached double figures in scoring before the midway point, and finished with 15 first-half points to fuel the Owls.
The Owls had 12-point leads on two occasions in the opening period, but both times La Salle was able to cut the margin to six or seven. Temple was shooting over 50 percent until the final five minutes, and had its second 12-point lead on a layup by Bond at 5:05, 34-22.
Over that final stretch, Temple's only point was a DeCosey free throw as the Owls missed their final four attempts from the field. The Explorers closed the half on a 7-1 run, including a jumper at the buzzer, to cut Temple's lead to six by halftime, 35-29.
The Owls' shooting woes continued over the first few minutes of the second half, as La Salle extended its run to 13-1 before Temple finally broke a nine-minute field goal drought. The Explorers tied the game at 35-35 on a pair of free throws at 17:34, but a Mark Williams tip-in at the 16-minute mark put the Owls back in the lead.
Just over a minute later, La Salle took its first lead since the opening minute when Cleon Roberts hit a long three-pointer, but the lead would be short-lived before Temple regained it.
With four more points in a row from Williams, Temple got the lead back and held it for the rest of the contest, but the Explorers were never out of it, with the Owls' largest lead being six.
Jerrell Wright scored 15 points to lead La Salle, and Steve Zach grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.
Temple will be back in action at home on Wednesday, Dec. 10, taking on Towson at 8:00 p.m.
Box Score l Photo Gallery | Dunphy Interview | Players Interview
Team Stats
LAS
TU
FG%
.429
.347
3FG%
.300
.545
FT%
.632
.900
RB
34
28
TO
14
11
STL
5
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
8
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
7
FGM
1
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballEp. 7: Temple Field Hockey Alumna Cherifa Howarth
Friday, September 26
Ep. 6: Temple Athletics Weekly Recap; Field Hockey's Peyton Rieger
Tuesday, September 23
Temple Men's Basketball | Mic'd Up at Temple Women's Volleyball Game
Friday, September 19
Ep. 5: Head Men's Golf Coach Brian Quinn
Friday, September 19
