Temple University Athletics
Saturday, December 9
Liacouras Center
2:30 p.m.
Temple University
6-2
81
vs
78
Saint Joseph's
4-5
1
2
F
Saint Joseph's
29
49
78
Temple
40
41
81
Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University
Men's Basketball Holds off Saint Joseph's for an 81-78 Big 5 Victory
12.9.17 | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA - Holding off a furious Saint Joseph's rally in the final minutes, Temple men's basketball prevailed for an 81-78 win against the Hawks (4-5, 0-2 Big 5). It was the first Philadelphia Big 5 win of the season for the Owls (6-2, 1-1 Big 5), who will next take on #4 Villanova at home on Dec. 13.
Keys to the Game
> Temple led by 16 points, 74-58 with just over five minutes remaining before Saint Joseph's eventually got the deficit all the way down to three points in the final minute.
> Senior Josh Brown made 5-of-6 free throws in the final 33 seconds to keep the Hawks from completing the comeback.
> After hitting just three shots from beyond the arc in its last game, the Owls made 11 vs. SJU including 5-of-8 by Shizz Alston, Jr.
Individual Highlights
> Alston led four Temple players in double figures, scoring a game-high 20 points.
> Quinton Rose notched his second career double-double with a game-high 11 rebounds to go with 15 points, also dishing four assists and recording two steals.
> After scoring just three points in the first half, Ernest Aflakpui put up nine in the second to finish with a season-high 12 points.
> Finishing 7-of-8 at the free throw line overall, Brown scored 13 points and dished four assists.
> De'Vondre Perry came off the bench for a season-high nine points on 3-of-6 shooting.
> Alston's impressive performance came with one snag, as he missed his first free throw of the contest. His program-record streak has concluded at 52-of-52 dating from Dec. 28, 2016 to Dec. 6, 2017.
> Four players also reached double figures in scoring for Saint Joseph's, including Taylor Funk who came off the bench to hit 5-of-6 three-pointers.
First Half
> It was a game of runs early on with a small 6-0 spurt for the Owls followed by a big one for the Hawks, 17-2.
> Temple trailed 17-8 at 12:45, hitting just 3-for-12 to start while SJU went 7-for-11.
> Alston made back-to-back treys to start a 10-0 run for the Owls, putting them up 18-17 on a Rose layup with 9:25 left.
> Three ties followed, the last at 26-26 during a 12-0 run for the Owls that turned into a 17-3 run to close out the half.
> Alston led all players with 15 points at halftime as Temple took its largest lead into the break, 40-29.
Second Half
> Temple's lead stayed between seven and 13 points over the first 13 minutes of the half before Alston and Rose combined for an 8-0 run that put Temple up by 16, 74-58 with 5:25 left.
> The Hawks did not go away, heating up just past the 5-minute mark.
> Saint Joseph's hit four shots from long range, three by Funk, in a 14-2 run that made it a four-point game at 76-72 with 1:32 remaining.
> The Hawks' James Demery missed a pair of free throws with 38 seconds left, while Brown then made two at the other end.
> SJU made two layups to just one free throw for Temple, cutting the margin to 79-76 with 11 seconds to go.
> After getting fouled, Brown answered with two more at the stripe, giving the Owls a five-point cushion before the Hawks scored at the buzzer.
Quotable
> "I think any game you can win - we're in this for the long haul. Obviously this was a good basketball team. I thought we did some really good things in stretches today. Obviously we didn't finish the game the way we would've liked to, although Josh saved us at the foul line. I thought he played great today and the other day as well (against Wisconsin). Very proud of him. It's always important to get a win." - Temple head coach Fran Dunphy
Next Up
> Temple is back at home for its third of four straight home games, hosting #4/4 Villanova at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 13 (ESPN2 / 1210 AM WPHT).
Keys to the Game
> Temple led by 16 points, 74-58 with just over five minutes remaining before Saint Joseph's eventually got the deficit all the way down to three points in the final minute.
> Senior Josh Brown made 5-of-6 free throws in the final 33 seconds to keep the Hawks from completing the comeback.
> After hitting just three shots from beyond the arc in its last game, the Owls made 11 vs. SJU including 5-of-8 by Shizz Alston, Jr.
Individual Highlights
> Alston led four Temple players in double figures, scoring a game-high 20 points.
> Quinton Rose notched his second career double-double with a game-high 11 rebounds to go with 15 points, also dishing four assists and recording two steals.
> After scoring just three points in the first half, Ernest Aflakpui put up nine in the second to finish with a season-high 12 points.
> Finishing 7-of-8 at the free throw line overall, Brown scored 13 points and dished four assists.
> De'Vondre Perry came off the bench for a season-high nine points on 3-of-6 shooting.
> Alston's impressive performance came with one snag, as he missed his first free throw of the contest. His program-record streak has concluded at 52-of-52 dating from Dec. 28, 2016 to Dec. 6, 2017.
> Four players also reached double figures in scoring for Saint Joseph's, including Taylor Funk who came off the bench to hit 5-of-6 three-pointers.
First Half
> It was a game of runs early on with a small 6-0 spurt for the Owls followed by a big one for the Hawks, 17-2.
> Temple trailed 17-8 at 12:45, hitting just 3-for-12 to start while SJU went 7-for-11.
> Alston made back-to-back treys to start a 10-0 run for the Owls, putting them up 18-17 on a Rose layup with 9:25 left.
> Three ties followed, the last at 26-26 during a 12-0 run for the Owls that turned into a 17-3 run to close out the half.
> Alston led all players with 15 points at halftime as Temple took its largest lead into the break, 40-29.
Second Half
> Temple's lead stayed between seven and 13 points over the first 13 minutes of the half before Alston and Rose combined for an 8-0 run that put Temple up by 16, 74-58 with 5:25 left.
> The Hawks did not go away, heating up just past the 5-minute mark.
> Saint Joseph's hit four shots from long range, three by Funk, in a 14-2 run that made it a four-point game at 76-72 with 1:32 remaining.
> The Hawks' James Demery missed a pair of free throws with 38 seconds left, while Brown then made two at the other end.
> SJU made two layups to just one free throw for Temple, cutting the margin to 79-76 with 11 seconds to go.
> After getting fouled, Brown answered with two more at the stripe, giving the Owls a five-point cushion before the Hawks scored at the buzzer.
Quotable
> "I think any game you can win - we're in this for the long haul. Obviously this was a good basketball team. I thought we did some really good things in stretches today. Obviously we didn't finish the game the way we would've liked to, although Josh saved us at the foul line. I thought he played great today and the other day as well (against Wisconsin). Very proud of him. It's always important to get a win." - Temple head coach Fran Dunphy
Next Up
> Temple is back at home for its third of four straight home games, hosting #4/4 Villanova at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 13 (ESPN2 / 1210 AM WPHT).
Team Stats
SJU
TU
FG%
.450
.418
3FG%
.444
.393
FT%
.545
.737
RB
43
39
TO
13
6
STL
2
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
5
FTM
1
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
13
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
7
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
C
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