Temple University Athletics
Wednesday, January 29
Liacouras Center
7:00 PM
Temple University
6-13, 1-7
88
vs
82
Rutgers
8-13, 2-6
1
2
F
Rutgers
37
45
82
Temple
50
38
88
Will Cummings
Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University
Men's Basketball Beats Rutgers 88-82 to Snap Losing Skid and Record First American Athletic Conference Win
1.29.14 | Men's Basketball
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PHILADELPHIA - With a perfect 8-of-8 performance at the free throw line over the final 46 seconds, Temple men's basketball held off Rutgers (8-13, 2-6) for an 88-82 win to snap the program's longest losing streak in 38 years. The Owls (6-13, 1-7) got 21 points from Will Cummings and 20 from Dalton Pepper to end their eight-game skid and record their first-ever American Athletic Conference victory.
The win avenged a New Years Day five-point loss on the road at Rutgers, but the Scarlet Knights gave Temple everything it could handle.
The Owls led by 20 points early in the second half before Rutgers came all the way back and briefly led by a point with less than three minutes remaining.
Cummings responded with back-to-back layups after the Scarlet Knights took the lead, and later was one of three players to be perfect at the line to seal the win.
Along with his game-high 21 points, Cummings dished a career-high eight assists and tied his season high with three steals. Both Pepper and Cummings played all 40 minutes.
Anthony Lee and Quenton DeCosey finished with 15 points apiece, with Lee adding a team-best eight rebounds.
The Owls committed just six turnovers in the game, their second-fewest of the season, while Rutgers turned the ball over 13 times. Temple scored 24 points off turnovers to the Scarlet Knights' eight.
Temple shot over 65 percent from the field in the first half, and 50 percent from behind the arc (5-of-10). Neither team led by more than four until the final five minutes of the half, when the Owls really picked up the pace.
After hitting just 1-for-5 from the field to start the half, Pepper finished the half shooting 5-for-5 and had 14 points at the break to lead all players. Over a 20-second span near the two-minute mark, Pepper recorded back-to-back steals, dunking after the first and feeding Cummings for a dunk on the second.
The Owls led by just three, 37-34 with 3:26 left in the half before closing on a 13-3 run to take a 50-37 halftime lead. Cummings scored six points in the run and also reached double figures with 11 at the break.
Temple extended its run to start the second half, scoring the first seven points to build a 20-point, 57-37 lead in the first two and a half minutes. It would be the largest lead for the Owls, as Rutgers began to whittle the margin down the stretch.
The Scarlet Knights used a pair of 9-2 runs to come within four, 66-62 at 8:27. DeCosey broke the second run with a layup just after the eight-minute mark, but Rutgers went on to cut the deficit to three near the five-minute mark.
With a 72-69 lead and 3:43 remaining, Cummings hit 2-of-2 at the line for a five-point lead, but it was quickly erased by back-to-back three-pointers from Rutgers' J.J. Moore. His buckets briefly gave the Scarlet Knights a 75-74 lead, but it would be their only lead of the half, and would last just 20 seconds.
Cummings scored back-to-back layups to put the Owls back ahead by three with 1:36 remaining. They would increase that lead to six before a Myles Mack trey cut it back to three at 40 seconds, but Rutgers came no closer.
Over the final 46 seconds, Pepper, Brown and Cummings hit 8-of-8 at the line (4-of-4 by Brown) to hold off the Scarlet Knights, who hit two treys in that stretch.
PHILADELPHIA - With a perfect 8-of-8 performance at the free throw line over the final 46 seconds, Temple men's basketball held off Rutgers (8-13, 2-6) for an 88-82 win to snap the program's longest losing streak in 38 years. The Owls (6-13, 1-7) got 21 points from Will Cummings and 20 from Dalton Pepper to end their eight-game skid and record their first-ever American Athletic Conference victory.
The win avenged a New Years Day five-point loss on the road at Rutgers, but the Scarlet Knights gave Temple everything it could handle.
The Owls led by 20 points early in the second half before Rutgers came all the way back and briefly led by a point with less than three minutes remaining.
Cummings responded with back-to-back layups after the Scarlet Knights took the lead, and later was one of three players to be perfect at the line to seal the win.
Along with his game-high 21 points, Cummings dished a career-high eight assists and tied his season high with three steals. Both Pepper and Cummings played all 40 minutes.
Anthony Lee and Quenton DeCosey finished with 15 points apiece, with Lee adding a team-best eight rebounds.
The Owls committed just six turnovers in the game, their second-fewest of the season, while Rutgers turned the ball over 13 times. Temple scored 24 points off turnovers to the Scarlet Knights' eight.
Temple shot over 65 percent from the field in the first half, and 50 percent from behind the arc (5-of-10). Neither team led by more than four until the final five minutes of the half, when the Owls really picked up the pace.
After hitting just 1-for-5 from the field to start the half, Pepper finished the half shooting 5-for-5 and had 14 points at the break to lead all players. Over a 20-second span near the two-minute mark, Pepper recorded back-to-back steals, dunking after the first and feeding Cummings for a dunk on the second.
The Owls led by just three, 37-34 with 3:26 left in the half before closing on a 13-3 run to take a 50-37 halftime lead. Cummings scored six points in the run and also reached double figures with 11 at the break.
Temple extended its run to start the second half, scoring the first seven points to build a 20-point, 57-37 lead in the first two and a half minutes. It would be the largest lead for the Owls, as Rutgers began to whittle the margin down the stretch.
The Scarlet Knights used a pair of 9-2 runs to come within four, 66-62 at 8:27. DeCosey broke the second run with a layup just after the eight-minute mark, but Rutgers went on to cut the deficit to three near the five-minute mark.
With a 72-69 lead and 3:43 remaining, Cummings hit 2-of-2 at the line for a five-point lead, but it was quickly erased by back-to-back three-pointers from Rutgers' J.J. Moore. His buckets briefly gave the Scarlet Knights a 75-74 lead, but it would be their only lead of the half, and would last just 20 seconds.
Cummings scored back-to-back layups to put the Owls back ahead by three with 1:36 remaining. They would increase that lead to six before a Myles Mack trey cut it back to three at 40 seconds, but Rutgers came no closer.
Over the final 46 seconds, Pepper, Brown and Cummings hit 8-of-8 at the line (4-of-4 by Brown) to hold off the Scarlet Knights, who hit two treys in that stretch.
Team Stats
RUTGERS
TU
FG%
.527
.525
3FG%
.588
.316
FT%
.824
.800
RB
28
30
TO
13
6
STL
2
8
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
8
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Ep. 11: American Conference Commissioner Tim Pernetti
Monday, October 13
Ep. 10: Temple Homecoming Preview; Volleyball Assistant Coach Taylor Davenport
Tuesday, October 07
Ep. 9: Head Women's Soccer Coach Chris Shaw
Friday, October 03
Ep. 8: Temple Athletics Weekly Recap; Women's Cross Country Runner Amelia Sabatino
Tuesday, September 30
