Mark Williams Leads Men's Basketball to Big 5 Victory Over Penn, 76-67

Tuesday, November 25

Liacouras Center

7:00 p.m.

Temple University

3-2

Penn

0-4

Penn

Temple

Mark Williams scored a career-high 24 points to lead the Owls

Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University

Mark Williams Leads Men's Basketball to Big 5 Victory Over Penn, 76-67

11.25.14 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - Sophomore Mark Williams scored a career-high 24 points to lead Temple men's basketball to its first Philadelphia Big 5 win of the season, a 76-67 decision against visiting Penn (0-4) on Tuesday night at the Liacouras Center.

The game featured a number of runs for both teams in a back-and-forth affair, but it was the Owls (3-2) with the lead for nearly the entire contest. The win marks Temple's eighth win in a row against Penn, and puts the Owls at 3-0 on their home court so far this season.

Williams hit 8-of-12 from the field and 6-of-7 at the free throw line, shattering his previous career high of 11 points. Senior Will Cummings grabbed a team-best seven boards while dishing five assists and also scoring in double figures with 16.

The Owls jumped out to an early 12-2 lead over the first four and a half minutes, but Penn erased it with a 16-5 run of its own to take an 18-17 lead just past the 10-minute mark.

The next five minutes saw three ties as the teams battled back and forth. Temple pulled back ahead by five with 5:20 left, but Hicks came right back with five points for Penn.

Starting near the four-and-a-half minute mark, the Owls began to take charge once again. Brown hit a three-pointer to start what would become a 14-3 run down the stretch, giving Temple a 44-33 advantage with 50 seconds to go. The Quakers cut the margin in the final minute thanks to a pair of free throws and a late dunk for Matt Howard, giving Temple a 44-37 lead at the break.

Williams set his career high with over five minutes left in the first half, and led the Owls with 13 points in the first period on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and from the free throw line. He hit his second trey of the game early in the second half to tie Temple's largest lead of the game of 11 points.

That would be the Owls' largest lead the rest of the way, with the Quakers continuing to get back in the game each time Temple pulled ahead. With an 11-2 run near the midway point, Penn came within one, 60-59. The Owls scored the next six, but Penn answered with four.

With Temple holding a three-point lead at 70-67 and 1:15 remaining, the Quakers began to foul and the Owls got it done at the charity stripe. Josh Brown hit 4-of-4 at the line in the final 37 seconds, and Williams made a pair as well to seal the deal for Temple. Penn attempted only three-pointers in that stretch, and missed all three.

Junior Tony Hicks led the Quakers with 17 points before fouling out of the game with six and a half minutes remaining.

Four players finished in double figures for Temple, with junior Quenton DeCosey scoring 14 and Brown adding 11, hitting all eight of his attempts at the line. The Owls' 44.6 shooting percentage was its best of the season so far, and they hit shots at a 48 percent clip in the second half.

Temple is back in action at home after Thanksgiving, taking on LIU Brooklyn at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 30.

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