Temple University Athletics
Saturday, January 28
Orlando, Fla.
12:00 P.M.
Temple University
at
UCF
Photo by: Zamani Feelings
Men's Basketball Takes Win Streak on Road for Saturday Game at UCF
1.26.23 | Men's Basketball
ORLANDO – Fresh off a 79-76 overtime win over South Florida, Temple will head to the Sunshine State to take on UCF Saturday at noon (ESPNU/1210 AM WPHT).
The Owls (13-9, 7-2 AAC), currently in second place in the conference, have won three straight games overall and are undefeated in league play on the road (4-0). The Knights (13-7, 4-4), sitting in sixth overall in the AAC, have lost three straight, the last, 82-71, to #3 Houston on Wednesday.
SCOUTING TEMPLE
> Khalif Battle, who is coming off a game-high 25 points against USF, leads the team and ranks fourth in the American Athletic Conference in scoring (17.4 ppg), has scored 20 points in a team-best nine games. He ranks third in the AAC in threes with 61 and tied for 26th nationally.
> Damian Dunn ranks second on the team in scoring (15.2 ppg), assists (2.6) and field goal percentage (.433). He tallied a career-high 38 points, the most points by an Owl since 2004, against Vanderbilt. He leads the Owls (6th in NCAA) in free throws made (112) and is second in three-point percentage (28-81, .346).
> Zach Hicks (9.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg) leads the team in three-point shooting (52-145, .359) and Hysier Miller (8.2 ppg, 3.5 apg) are the only two Owls to start all 22 games.
> Jahlil White (5.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg), the team's top perimeter defender, is averaging 7.6 points and 7.4 rebounds while shooting a team-best 29-of-49 (.592) from the field in conference play.
> Nick Jourdain (6.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.4), who posted his first double-double of the season (16 pts, 10 rebs) against Memphis, has started the last nine games.
> Kur Jongkuch (1.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg), who made the critical block in the final seconds of the Houston win, has started 10 games, while Jamille Reynolds (10.3 ppg/6.0 rpg), who transferred to Temple this season after playing 45 games the last two seasons for the Knights, returned to action in the team's last game against South Florida, playing 18 minutes off the bench.
SCOUTING CENTRAL FLORIDA
> Freshman forward Taylor Hendricks leads the Knights in scoring (14.4 ppg), rebounding (7.0 rpg) and blocks (38) and minutes per game (34.0 mpg).
> Senior guards C.J. Kelly (12.6 ppg) and Ithiel Horton (12.3 ppg), along with sophomore guard Darius Johnson (11.5 ppg), all average double figures.
> UCF is one of the top perimeter shooting teams in the conference, leading in three-point percentage (.361) and ranking second in threes per game (8.6 pg).
> Kelly tops the team in three-point shooting (43-105, .410) and Hendricks is second (33-85, .388), ranking fourth and fifth in the AAC, respectively.
SERIES HISTORY
> Temple and UCF are meeting for the 18th time in series history, with the Owls holding a 10-7 advantage.
> The Owls have won four of the last five meetings with the teams splitting last season's meetings, each winning on the opponent's floor.
> Temple 4-4 against UCF in Orlando.
LAST MEETING: TEMPLE 66, @UCF 62 (Jan. 5, 2022)
> Jahlil White scored a career-high 17 points and Damian Dunn (16 pts) drained a three-pointer with seven seconds remaining to lift Temple to victory.
> Associate head coach Monte' Ross filled in for Aaron McKie (covid protocol) and the Owls were also missing Jake Forrester (non-covid illness) and Tai Strickland (back).
> The game featured eight ties and 10 lead changes with Dunn's game-winner part of an 8-0 run over the final 22 seconds to close out the victory.
> Jeremiah Williams contributed 13 points and six assists while Zach Hicks also reached double figures with 10 points.
> Darius Perry led UCF with 14 points.
LAST GAME: @TEMPLE 79, SOUTH FLORIDA 76 (OT) (Jan. 25)
> Khalif Battle led all scorers with 25 points, including seven of Temple's nine overtime points, as the Owls extended their win streak to three straight with a 79-76 OT win over South Florida at the Liacouras Center.
> Battle, who was nine-of-18 from the field and three-of-six from long range, also assisted on Nick Jourdain's go-ahead dunk with 48 seconds on the clock that gave Temple the lead for good, 77-76.
> Damian Dunn added 15 points while Jourdain added 11. Corey Walker, Jr. led South Florida with 21.
> After a tightly played first 30 minutes, Temple took a 65-55, with 7:46 to play.
> The Bulls then scored eight straight points to cut the margin to 65-63 on a Keyshawn Bryant jumper.
> Battle then drained a three from the top of the key, but Russel Tchewa made a layup to again make it a one-possession game, 68-65.
> Then a Tchewa basket and a three-point play sandwiched a Battle long two, tying the game at 70 with 1:42 to play.
> Neither team could score the remainder of regulation with a Dunn 30 footer at the buzzer hitting the front of the rim.
> In overtime, Battle scored five quick points to give Temple a 75-70 lead.
> The Bulls answered with six straight, the last on a Bryant free throw to make it 76-75 with 1:06 on the clock.
> Battle then fed a cutting Jourdain for a monster slam, giving Temple a 77-76 advantage with 49.1 seconds to play.
> Battle then made two free throws following a Bulls miss, putting the Owls ahead 79-76 with 21 seconds to play and the Owls held on for the win.
The Owls (13-9, 7-2 AAC), currently in second place in the conference, have won three straight games overall and are undefeated in league play on the road (4-0). The Knights (13-7, 4-4), sitting in sixth overall in the AAC, have lost three straight, the last, 82-71, to #3 Houston on Wednesday.
SCOUTING TEMPLE
> Khalif Battle, who is coming off a game-high 25 points against USF, leads the team and ranks fourth in the American Athletic Conference in scoring (17.4 ppg), has scored 20 points in a team-best nine games. He ranks third in the AAC in threes with 61 and tied for 26th nationally.
> Damian Dunn ranks second on the team in scoring (15.2 ppg), assists (2.6) and field goal percentage (.433). He tallied a career-high 38 points, the most points by an Owl since 2004, against Vanderbilt. He leads the Owls (6th in NCAA) in free throws made (112) and is second in three-point percentage (28-81, .346).
> Zach Hicks (9.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg) leads the team in three-point shooting (52-145, .359) and Hysier Miller (8.2 ppg, 3.5 apg) are the only two Owls to start all 22 games.
> Jahlil White (5.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg), the team's top perimeter defender, is averaging 7.6 points and 7.4 rebounds while shooting a team-best 29-of-49 (.592) from the field in conference play.
> Nick Jourdain (6.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.4), who posted his first double-double of the season (16 pts, 10 rebs) against Memphis, has started the last nine games.
> Kur Jongkuch (1.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg), who made the critical block in the final seconds of the Houston win, has started 10 games, while Jamille Reynolds (10.3 ppg/6.0 rpg), who transferred to Temple this season after playing 45 games the last two seasons for the Knights, returned to action in the team's last game against South Florida, playing 18 minutes off the bench.
SCOUTING CENTRAL FLORIDA
> Freshman forward Taylor Hendricks leads the Knights in scoring (14.4 ppg), rebounding (7.0 rpg) and blocks (38) and minutes per game (34.0 mpg).
> Senior guards C.J. Kelly (12.6 ppg) and Ithiel Horton (12.3 ppg), along with sophomore guard Darius Johnson (11.5 ppg), all average double figures.
> UCF is one of the top perimeter shooting teams in the conference, leading in three-point percentage (.361) and ranking second in threes per game (8.6 pg).
> Kelly tops the team in three-point shooting (43-105, .410) and Hendricks is second (33-85, .388), ranking fourth and fifth in the AAC, respectively.
SERIES HISTORY
> Temple and UCF are meeting for the 18th time in series history, with the Owls holding a 10-7 advantage.
> The Owls have won four of the last five meetings with the teams splitting last season's meetings, each winning on the opponent's floor.
> Temple 4-4 against UCF in Orlando.
LAST MEETING: TEMPLE 66, @UCF 62 (Jan. 5, 2022)
> Jahlil White scored a career-high 17 points and Damian Dunn (16 pts) drained a three-pointer with seven seconds remaining to lift Temple to victory.
> Associate head coach Monte' Ross filled in for Aaron McKie (covid protocol) and the Owls were also missing Jake Forrester (non-covid illness) and Tai Strickland (back).
> The game featured eight ties and 10 lead changes with Dunn's game-winner part of an 8-0 run over the final 22 seconds to close out the victory.
> Jeremiah Williams contributed 13 points and six assists while Zach Hicks also reached double figures with 10 points.
> Darius Perry led UCF with 14 points.
LAST GAME: @TEMPLE 79, SOUTH FLORIDA 76 (OT) (Jan. 25)
> Khalif Battle led all scorers with 25 points, including seven of Temple's nine overtime points, as the Owls extended their win streak to three straight with a 79-76 OT win over South Florida at the Liacouras Center.
> Battle, who was nine-of-18 from the field and three-of-six from long range, also assisted on Nick Jourdain's go-ahead dunk with 48 seconds on the clock that gave Temple the lead for good, 77-76.
> Damian Dunn added 15 points while Jourdain added 11. Corey Walker, Jr. led South Florida with 21.
> After a tightly played first 30 minutes, Temple took a 65-55, with 7:46 to play.
> The Bulls then scored eight straight points to cut the margin to 65-63 on a Keyshawn Bryant jumper.
> Battle then drained a three from the top of the key, but Russel Tchewa made a layup to again make it a one-possession game, 68-65.
> Then a Tchewa basket and a three-point play sandwiched a Battle long two, tying the game at 70 with 1:42 to play.
> Neither team could score the remainder of regulation with a Dunn 30 footer at the buzzer hitting the front of the rim.
> In overtime, Battle scored five quick points to give Temple a 75-70 lead.
> The Bulls answered with six straight, the last on a Bryant free throw to make it 76-75 with 1:06 on the clock.
> Battle then fed a cutting Jourdain for a monster slam, giving Temple a 77-76 advantage with 49.1 seconds to play.
> Battle then made two free throws following a Bulls miss, putting the Owls ahead 79-76 with 21 seconds to play and the Owls held on for the win.
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