Alston's 31-Point Effort Leads Men's Basketball Past UMass, 65-63

Wednesday, December 12

Philadelphia, Pa.

7:00 p.m.

Temple University

8-2

UMass

6-5

Massachusetts

Temple

Photo by: Zamani Feelings

Alston's 31-Point Effort Leads Men's Basketball Past UMass, 65-63

12.12.18 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - Shizz Alston, Jr. scored a career-high 31 points to lead Temple men's basketball to a 65-63 come-from-behind win over visiting UMass (6-5). The Owls (8-2) trailed by 13 early in the second half before a 12-0 run put them back in it, and Alston's 11-of-12 performance at the free throw line later sealed the deal.

Game Summary
> After back-and-forth action in the first 10 minutes, UMass pulled ahead and took a 10-point lead into halftime.
> The Minutemen increased their lead to 13 early in the second half before Quinton Rose got into the action, helping Alston as the Owls used a big run to get back in the game.
> Alston hit Temple's only two three-pointers of the game, both in the first half, and also made 11 of the Owls' 17 free throws.
> Temple's largest lead was only five, and UMass twice made it a one-point game in the final 10 seconds.
> The only free throw miss by Alston came with four seconds left, but he stole the ball on the Minutemen's last possession to ensure Temple's victory.
> The Owls forced 19 turnovers while committing only 11, and also came up with 11 steals including four from Rose and three from Alston.

Individual Highlights
> Alston's 31 points break his previous career high by one point and mark his second 30-point performance of the season.
> Rose finished with 14 points, five rebounds and four steals.
> Ernest Aflakpui led all players with eight rebounds, getting three of those in the crucial final minutes.

First Half
> The first 10 minutes of the game saw four ties and no lead of more than two points by either team.
> With a three-pointer at the 10-minute mark, Jonathan Laurent gave UMass a one-point lead and the Minutemen remained ahead for the rest of the half.
> An 8-0 run starting near the six-minute mark put UMass up by nine, and the Minutemen soon built their first double-digit lead.
> The largest lead of the half was 12 for UMass with 1:23 to go, and the Owls were still down 10 at the break, 37-27.
> Alston provided nearly all of the offense for Temple in the first half with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field along with 4-of-4 free throws. Only four others scored for the Owls and none had more than three points.

Second Half
> With the Owls down 40-27 early in the second half, Rose took over, scoring six points and getting an assist in a 12-0 run that got Temple back within one near the 15-minute mark.
> A steal by Nate Pierre-Louis led to a De'Vondre Perry layup on an Alston assist at 13:04 that gave Temple its first lead since the opening 10 minutes, 43-42.
> Four lead changes followed before four straight Alston free throws put Temple in the lead for good.
> Three Aflakpui rebounds and one layup helped keep Temple in the lead when it became just a one-point game with three and a half minutes left.
> Alston's second dunk of the contest gave the Owls a five-point cushion at 1:18, and they would need it after back-to-back Sy Chatman layups for UMass once again made it a one-point game.
> The Minutemen were forced to foul Alston with nine seconds left, and he hit both ends of a 1-and-1 to tie his career high and put the Owls up by three.
> UMass got it back to a point one more time with a pair of free throws after being fouled, and once again sent Alston to the line. This time he only hit the front end, giving UMass a possession with four seconds left, but he made amends with a steal at half court just before the buzzer.

Up Next
> The Owls will head to Atlantic City for the first-ever Boardwalk Classic presented by Citi, taking on Davidson at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 15 (ESPN3 / 1210 AM WPHT).