Temple University Athletics
Saturday, January 12
Philadelphia, Pa.
2:00 p.m.
Temple University
vs
USF
Photo by: Ken Inness/ZUMA Press
Men's Basketball Hosts USF on Saturday; Owls Look to Stay Unbeaten at Home
1.11.19 | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA - The Liacouras Center has been very good to Temple men's basketball so far in 2018-19, and the Owls (12-3, 2-1) look to keep it that way when they host USF (12-3, 2-1) on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 2 p.m. (ESPNU / 1210 AM WPHT). Temple is 6-0 on its home court including a win over #17/15 Houston earlier this week.
Scouting Temple
> By knocking off previously unbeaten #17/15 Houston 73-69 on Wednesday, Temple has now defeated a Top 25 program in 12 straight seasons. The Owls have beaten ranked American Athletic Conference opponents two years in a row after beating #16/16 Wichita State in overtime at home, 81-79 on Feb. 1, 2018.
> Quinton Rose scored a game-high 22 points in the upset of Houston, while both he and Nate Pierre-Louis hit 9-of-10 free throws in helping the Owls make 25-of-28 from the line overall. Ernest Aflakpui was the hero at the end of the game, taking a charge in the final second to negate Houston's game-tying layup.
> At 12-3 overall, Temple is off to its best start since the 2010-11 team also went 12-3 before dropping its fourth game.
> The Owls have won five of their last six and got their first AAC victory in dramatic fashion, beating Wichita State in OT for a second year in a row. Shizz Alston, Jr. scored a team-high 22 points including the final seven of the 85-81 win.
> Pierre-Louis has caught fire of late, scoring 20 or more points in three of the last four games and 18 against Houston. He ranks third on the team with 13.5 points per game and first in AAC games at 20.0 ppg.
> Alston and Rose have both surpassed 1,000 career points this season, becoming the 12th duo to do so in program history. Rose did it at Drexel and now has 1,067 points in just his third year. Alston hit the mark in Temple's win vs. Georgia on Nov. 13 and has now scored 1,230 points to rank 38th all-time in program history.
» With 18.9 ppg, Alston ranks second in the league while Rose is averaging 16.8 ppg to rank sixth.
> As a team, Temple ranks 13th in the nation with 9.4 steals per game. The Owls have posted double-digit steals in nine of 15 games so far.
Scouting USF
> After many down years, the Bulls are a team on the rise with an overall record of 12-3. That win total surpasses that of every season since 2011-12, which was the last time USF had a winning record.
> USF's three losses are by a combined nine points, with all three (coming to Georgetown in OT, The Citadel and Tulsa) being by three points.
> Redshirt freshman Alexis Yetna leads the team and the AAC with 10.9 rebounds per game, while redshirt junior Laquincy Rideau leads the team and AAC with 5.5 assists per game along with leading the team and AAC with 2.9 steals per game (fifth in NCAA Division I).
> Rideau (13.7 ppg), Yetna (12.1 ppg) and David Collins all average in double figures in scoring for USF, led by Collins with 14.5 ppg.
Series History vs. USF
> Temple and USF have met 11 times, with the Owls leading 9-2 in the all-time series.
> The Owls have won nine in a row and have a 3-1 lead in games at Temple. The only meeting last year was a 73-55 road victory on Feb. 10.
> In 2016-17, Temple won 83-74 on the road and 72-60 at home a month later. Seven points is the closest margin of victory for the Owls since 2014.
> The first meeting in the series was seven years ago in the NCAA Second Round at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. The Bulls won by a score of 58-44 after trailing Temple 19-15 at halftime. USF also won the first-ever meeting as conference opponents on Jan. 9, 2014, 75-82, but has not won since.
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Scouting Temple
> By knocking off previously unbeaten #17/15 Houston 73-69 on Wednesday, Temple has now defeated a Top 25 program in 12 straight seasons. The Owls have beaten ranked American Athletic Conference opponents two years in a row after beating #16/16 Wichita State in overtime at home, 81-79 on Feb. 1, 2018.
> Quinton Rose scored a game-high 22 points in the upset of Houston, while both he and Nate Pierre-Louis hit 9-of-10 free throws in helping the Owls make 25-of-28 from the line overall. Ernest Aflakpui was the hero at the end of the game, taking a charge in the final second to negate Houston's game-tying layup.
> At 12-3 overall, Temple is off to its best start since the 2010-11 team also went 12-3 before dropping its fourth game.
> The Owls have won five of their last six and got their first AAC victory in dramatic fashion, beating Wichita State in OT for a second year in a row. Shizz Alston, Jr. scored a team-high 22 points including the final seven of the 85-81 win.
> Pierre-Louis has caught fire of late, scoring 20 or more points in three of the last four games and 18 against Houston. He ranks third on the team with 13.5 points per game and first in AAC games at 20.0 ppg.
> Alston and Rose have both surpassed 1,000 career points this season, becoming the 12th duo to do so in program history. Rose did it at Drexel and now has 1,067 points in just his third year. Alston hit the mark in Temple's win vs. Georgia on Nov. 13 and has now scored 1,230 points to rank 38th all-time in program history.
» With 18.9 ppg, Alston ranks second in the league while Rose is averaging 16.8 ppg to rank sixth.
> As a team, Temple ranks 13th in the nation with 9.4 steals per game. The Owls have posted double-digit steals in nine of 15 games so far.
Scouting USF
> After many down years, the Bulls are a team on the rise with an overall record of 12-3. That win total surpasses that of every season since 2011-12, which was the last time USF had a winning record.
> USF's three losses are by a combined nine points, with all three (coming to Georgetown in OT, The Citadel and Tulsa) being by three points.
> Redshirt freshman Alexis Yetna leads the team and the AAC with 10.9 rebounds per game, while redshirt junior Laquincy Rideau leads the team and AAC with 5.5 assists per game along with leading the team and AAC with 2.9 steals per game (fifth in NCAA Division I).
> Rideau (13.7 ppg), Yetna (12.1 ppg) and David Collins all average in double figures in scoring for USF, led by Collins with 14.5 ppg.
Series History vs. USF
> Temple and USF have met 11 times, with the Owls leading 9-2 in the all-time series.
> The Owls have won nine in a row and have a 3-1 lead in games at Temple. The only meeting last year was a 73-55 road victory on Feb. 10.
> In 2016-17, Temple won 83-74 on the road and 72-60 at home a month later. Seven points is the closest margin of victory for the Owls since 2014.
> The first meeting in the series was seven years ago in the NCAA Second Round at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. The Bulls won by a score of 58-44 after trailing Temple 19-15 at halftime. USF also won the first-ever meeting as conference opponents on Jan. 9, 2014, 75-82, but has not won since.
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Players Mentioned
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