Men's Basketball Hosts Big 5 Rival La Salle Wednesday

PHILADELPHIA - Temple (3-3, 0-0 Big 5) opens its 2021-22 Philadelphia Big 5 schedule on Wednesday when the Owls welcome La Salle (2-3, 0-1 Big 5) to the friendly confines of the Liacouras Center (7 pm/ESPN+/1210 AM WPHT). It is the second of three straight home games and the first of two Big 5 games as Penn visits on Saturday afternoon.

Last year was the first time Temple did not play a Big 5 game since the inception of city-series play with the 1955-56 season. The Owls, who are tied with Villanova for the most city-series titles (27), only played one non-conference game in a 16-game abbreviated schedule due to the pandemic in 2020-21.

Promotions
> All-You-Can-Eat package with your ticket to Temple Men's Basketball vs. La Salle. Enjoy unlimited hot dogs, popcorn, and soda for only an additional $15!

Scouting Temple

> Khalif Battle, who was named AAC Player of the Week on Monday, continues to lead the way for the Owls. The sophomore guard tops the AAC in scoring (21.3 ppg), ranks second in field goal percentage (.538) and three-point percentage (.474) and tied for third in threes per game (3.0).
> Damian Dunn (10.3 ppg) also scores in double figures while ranking second in the AAC in FT% (19-21, .905).
> Tai Strickland (9.0 ppg) has provided a lift off the bench, ranking third on the squad in scoring and second in field goal (.475).
> Jeremiah Williams, who has started every game of his career, leads the Owls in assists (4.0 apg/t-4th AAC) while ranking fourth in scoring (8.3 ppg).
> Sage Tolbert III (3.8 ppg/5.3 rpg) and Jake Forrester (3.7 ppg/3.2 rpg) round out the Owls starting five.
> Nick Jourdain (2.5 ppg) leads the team in rebounding (6.0 rpg) and ranks fourth in the AAC in blocks (1.7 bpg) despite averaging just 19.2 mpg off the bench.

Scouting La Salle

> La Salle enters the game following a 72-46 loss to #7 Villanova in its first Big 5 game of the season.
> The Explorers had split four close games on the season with three coming by one possession and the fourth, an overtime home win over Sacred Heart by five points.
> Sophomore guard Jhamir Brickus leads a balanced scoring attack with an 11.6 scoring average. He also tops the Explorers in assists with 15.
> Junior guard Josh Nickelberry also averaged double figures (10.2 ppg) with five other La Salle players averaging between 9.0 and 7.2 ppg.
> Christian Ray (7.2 ppg) tops the team in rebounding (7.6 rpg).

Series History

> Temple and La Salle are meeting for the 121st time, with the Owls holding a 78-42 advantage in the series.
> The Owls have won five of the last six meetings between the schools with the lone Explorer win coming at Tom Gola Arena, 87-83, on Nov. 26, 2017.
> The Owls have also won 21 of the last 26 meetings, including eight straight from 2010-2013.
> La Salle and Temple have played nine overtime games in the series, matching Saint Joseph's as the most OT games by an Owl opponent. Temple has won the last four OT contests against La Salle and owns a 6-3 record in overtime games. The last La Salle overtime win over Temple came on Feb. 25, 1984, 80-79 (2OT) at the Palestra. owns a 6-3 record in overtime games. The last La Salle overtime win over Temple came on Feb. 25, 1984, 80-79 (2OT) at the Palestra.

Men's Basketball Hosts Big 5 Rival La Salle Wednesday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Khalif Battle

Damian Dunn

Jake Forrester

Nick Jourdain

Tai Strickland

Sage Tolbert III

Jeremiah Williams

Temple University Athletics