Temple University Athletics
Sunday, December 24
Honolulu, Hawai'i
1:30 p.m.
Temple University
vs
Portland
Photo by: Paige Wisehaupt
Men's Basketball Wraps Hawaii Trip Against Portland
12.23.23 | Men's Basketball
Game Info:Â Sunday, December 24, 2023 -Â 1:30 p.m. EST
Location:Â SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center - Honolulu Hawai'i
TV:Â ESPN2Â | Listen: 1210 WPHT | Live Stats: Owlsports.com
Social Media
Twitter/X: @TUMBBHoops | Instagram: @tumbbhoops
Tweet #Team128
Opening Tip
The Temple University men's basketball team wraps up play at the Diamond Head Classic when it takes on Portland on Sunday, December 24. Tipoff from the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. EST. The game can be seen nationally on ESPN2. Â
Last Time Out - Miller Scores 20 As Owls Tussle with ODU
Three players scored in double figures, but Old Dominion pulled away with a late closing run as the Owls continued their play in the Diamond Head Classic on Friday with a 78-63 setback against the Monarchs.
BY THE NUMBERS
Dialing Long Distance (Part I)
Sam Hofman connected on four three-pointers against Old Dominion. His third, coming at the 6:42 mark of the second half, was the 100th of his career.
Dialing Long Distance (Part II)
With 38 three-point attempts against Old Dominion, TU tied a program record for looks from deep in a game. The Owls also took 38 shots from beyond the arc against Rutgers on February 1, 1991 and Rhode Island on March 1, 2006. Temple also tied a season-high for three-pointers made in a game against the Monarchs.Â
Get Ahead Early
Following the game against Old Dominion, Temple is 6-0 when leading at the half and 0-6 when trailing at intermission.Â
Leading The Way
Several members of the Owls are among the top of the leaderboards in the American Athletic Conference. Hysier Miller is second in the AAC at 18.3 points per game and is sixth in assists an outing at 4.6. Sam Hofman is 12th in the conference with 6.8 rebounds a night, also ranking seventh at 2.6 offensive boards per game. Zion Stanford has made his name among first year players, currently sitting 11th in The American overall, connecting on 55.3 percent of his field goals.Â
What We're Keeping An Eye On
A handful of players on the Temple roster are closing in on career milestones as the team approaches conference play. Steve Settle III has 914 career points and 98 steals. Sam Hofman enters Sunday at 449 rebounds. Jahlil White has 471 points and Hysier Miller has 85 threes.Â
Scouting Report
Portland enters play 6-8 on the season and is coming off a 100-78 loss against UMass on Friday, following a 69-56 setback against Hawai'I in the Diamond Head Classic quarterfinals. The Pilots were picked to finish sixth in a West Coast Conference that includes perennial national powers Gonzaga and Saint Mary's
Preseason All-WCC selection Tyler Robertson leads the offense at 16.4 points per game. He is one of three players in double figure scoring, joined by Tyler Harris and Vukasin Masic who are netting 13.1 and 12.3 a night, respectively. Harris tops the team and is fourth in the conference in rebounding at 7.9 an outing while Robertson has dished 55 assists.
The free throw line has been a big part of the offense for Portland which is third in the West Coast Conference in both free throws made per game (14.7) and free throw percentage (73.0). It also shoots relatively well from the floor, connecting on 45.7 percent of its shots.Â
The Pilots need to make their shots and deliver at the line as ball security has been a major issue this season. Portland is in the bottom-30 nationally in turnover margin at -2.9. It is also in the bottom-60 in NCAA Division I in both turnovers committed at 13.9 a game and forcing opponent miscues, taking the ball away 11.1 times a contest, Defending the perimeter has also been a challenge with teams hitting 36.5 percent from three-point range. All those factors combine to see the Pilots surrender 79.4 points a contest.
Shantay Legans is in his third season as the head coach at Portland with a record of 39-42 at the school. Prior to coming to the Oregon coast, he spent four seasons at Eastern Washington, leading the Eagles to a regular season conference title in 2019-20 and the NCAA Tournament in 2021.Â
All-Time Series
Sunday is the first meeting between Temple and Portland in men's basketball.
20/20/20/20/20 Vision
December 22 against Old Dominion was the fifth 20-point game of the season for Hysier Miller. He had two combined coming into the year. Â
Up Next
After returning from Hawai'i, the Owls are off until January 4 when they travel to the Sunshine State to open American Athletic Conference play against South Florida. Tipoff from the Yuengling Center in Tampa is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Location:Â SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center - Honolulu Hawai'i
TV:Â ESPN2Â | Listen: 1210 WPHT | Live Stats: Owlsports.com
Social Media
Twitter/X: @TUMBBHoops | Instagram: @tumbbhoops
Tweet #Team128
Opening Tip
The Temple University men's basketball team wraps up play at the Diamond Head Classic when it takes on Portland on Sunday, December 24. Tipoff from the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. EST. The game can be seen nationally on ESPN2. Â
Last Time Out - Miller Scores 20 As Owls Tussle with ODU
Three players scored in double figures, but Old Dominion pulled away with a late closing run as the Owls continued their play in the Diamond Head Classic on Friday with a 78-63 setback against the Monarchs.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Hysier Miller paced Temple with 20 points and five assists. He also pulled down five rebounds in the game.
- Shane Dezonie was in double figures for the third time this season, scoring 11 including a career-high tying trio of three-pointers.
- Sam Hofman tallied 12 and led the Owls with nine rebounds.
Dialing Long Distance (Part I)
Sam Hofman connected on four three-pointers against Old Dominion. His third, coming at the 6:42 mark of the second half, was the 100th of his career.
Dialing Long Distance (Part II)
With 38 three-point attempts against Old Dominion, TU tied a program record for looks from deep in a game. The Owls also took 38 shots from beyond the arc against Rutgers on February 1, 1991 and Rhode Island on March 1, 2006. Temple also tied a season-high for three-pointers made in a game against the Monarchs.Â
Get Ahead Early
Following the game against Old Dominion, Temple is 6-0 when leading at the half and 0-6 when trailing at intermission.Â
Leading The Way
Several members of the Owls are among the top of the leaderboards in the American Athletic Conference. Hysier Miller is second in the AAC at 18.3 points per game and is sixth in assists an outing at 4.6. Sam Hofman is 12th in the conference with 6.8 rebounds a night, also ranking seventh at 2.6 offensive boards per game. Zion Stanford has made his name among first year players, currently sitting 11th in The American overall, connecting on 55.3 percent of his field goals.Â
What We're Keeping An Eye On
A handful of players on the Temple roster are closing in on career milestones as the team approaches conference play. Steve Settle III has 914 career points and 98 steals. Sam Hofman enters Sunday at 449 rebounds. Jahlil White has 471 points and Hysier Miller has 85 threes.Â
Scouting Report
Portland enters play 6-8 on the season and is coming off a 100-78 loss against UMass on Friday, following a 69-56 setback against Hawai'I in the Diamond Head Classic quarterfinals. The Pilots were picked to finish sixth in a West Coast Conference that includes perennial national powers Gonzaga and Saint Mary's
Preseason All-WCC selection Tyler Robertson leads the offense at 16.4 points per game. He is one of three players in double figure scoring, joined by Tyler Harris and Vukasin Masic who are netting 13.1 and 12.3 a night, respectively. Harris tops the team and is fourth in the conference in rebounding at 7.9 an outing while Robertson has dished 55 assists.
The free throw line has been a big part of the offense for Portland which is third in the West Coast Conference in both free throws made per game (14.7) and free throw percentage (73.0). It also shoots relatively well from the floor, connecting on 45.7 percent of its shots.Â
The Pilots need to make their shots and deliver at the line as ball security has been a major issue this season. Portland is in the bottom-30 nationally in turnover margin at -2.9. It is also in the bottom-60 in NCAA Division I in both turnovers committed at 13.9 a game and forcing opponent miscues, taking the ball away 11.1 times a contest, Defending the perimeter has also been a challenge with teams hitting 36.5 percent from three-point range. All those factors combine to see the Pilots surrender 79.4 points a contest.
Shantay Legans is in his third season as the head coach at Portland with a record of 39-42 at the school. Prior to coming to the Oregon coast, he spent four seasons at Eastern Washington, leading the Eagles to a regular season conference title in 2019-20 and the NCAA Tournament in 2021.Â
All-Time Series
Sunday is the first meeting between Temple and Portland in men's basketball.
20/20/20/20/20 Vision
December 22 against Old Dominion was the fifth 20-point game of the season for Hysier Miller. He had two combined coming into the year. Â
Up Next
After returning from Hawai'i, the Owls are off until January 4 when they travel to the Sunshine State to open American Athletic Conference play against South Florida. Tipoff from the Yuengling Center in Tampa is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
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