Temple University Athletics
MEN'S BASKETBALL OPENS SEASON WITH LOSSES TO HIGHLY TOUTED FLORIDA, MARYLAND
11.9.01 | Men's Basketball
Temple (0-2) opened both games on a positive note. The Owls led through the midway point of the first half against Florida and until the 12:49 mark against Maryland. But sluggish shooting percentages and ball control problems caught up with the Owls. Temple finished the Florida game with a dismal 6-of-24 (25%) shooting performance from three-point range --36.7 percent overall-- and committed 15 turnovers, including a career-high six by All-Atlantic 10 Conference guard Lynn Greer. The Owls showed improvement the following night, hitting on 9-of-26 three pointers and committing just nine turnovers against Maryland, yet finished the game with an overall shooting percentage of just 38.2 percent (26-68).
In the Florida game, Greer, who played his usual 40 minutes (the 32nd time in his career), led the Owls in scoring with 15 points. Kevin Lyde tallied 12 and Ron Rollerson added 10. Lyde also pulled down 10 rebounds to mark the 19th double-double of his Temple career. Five Gators finished with double-figure point totals, including a team-high 15 by reserve guard David Lee.
Against Maryland, Greer poured in 10-of-21 field goal attempts and was a perfect 4-of-4 from the foul line, leading all scorers with 27 points. Lyde made it two straight double-doubles out of the gate and marked the 20th of his career with a 13-point, 10-rebound performance. Reserve winger Brian Polk scored 11 points to register his Temple career high. Guards Juan Dixon and Steve Blake paced Maryland with respective scoring totals of 25 and 20 points.
The Owls will play their second and final exhibition game of the season on Wednesday at the Liacouras Center vs. the EA Sports All-Stars, followed by a Nov. 29 home game against UNC Charlotte.
