Temple University Athletics

Sunday, February 9
Houston, TX
2:00 PM

Temple University

6-16, 1-9

74
at
88

Houston

12-12, 4-7

1
2
F
Temple
29
45
74
Houston
40
48
88
mbb huddle
Photo by: Mike McAtee

Comeback Attempt Falls Short for Men's Basketball at Houston in 88-74 Loss

2.9.14 | Men's Basketball

Box Score (PDF) | Dunphy Interview

HOUSTON 
 - Despite double figure scoring performances from five players, Temple men's basketball came up short at Houston (12-12, 4-7) on Sunday afternoon by a score of 88-74. The Owls cut a 21-point deficit to five with eight and a half minutes remaining, but could come no closer.

The Cougars' TaShawn Thomas put up a game-high 25 points and Jherrod Stiggers came off the bench for 20, including 5-of-9 behind the arc. As a team, Houston hit 11-of-24 (45.8 percent) from long range and shot 54 percent from the field overall.

Devontae Watson was the first in the game to reach double figures for Temple (6-16, 1-9), and finished with a career-high 11 points to go with a career-high 11 rebounds for his first double-double.

Dalton Pepper led Temple's effort with 17 points, while Anthony Lee and Quenton DeCosey scored 14 points apiece. Will Cummings added 12 along with six assists. The Owls finished with a 40-30 rebounding edge which included a 16-6 advantage on the offensive glass, but they were not able to turn enough of those second opportunities into points.

An early 6-2 lead for the Owls was quickly erased by a 22-2 Houston run, giving the home team a 24-8 advantage just past the midway point of the first half.

The Cougars extended their lead to 40-19 at 3:27, but Temple held them scoreless for the remainder of the half as the Owls closed on a 10-0 run to cut their deficit to 11 by the break, 40-29.

The margin was back up to 17 with 11 minutes left in the game before a 12-0 Owls run, fueled by seven points from Pepper. Lee capped the run with a layup at 8:32, putting Temple within five, 64-59.

Temple was still within single digits under the five minute mark, but a 16-6 run by the Cougars ended any hope of completing the comeback.

The Owls will return home for their next three contests, beginning with a 7:00 p.m. game on ESPN against the defending national champion #14/10 Louisville Cardinals on Thursday, Feb. 13.
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