Men's Basketball Program Wins 2,000th Game in Thrilling Fashion Over Davidson

Wednesday, December 18

Philadelphia, Pa.

7:00 P.M.

Temple University

7-4,0-0AAC

Davidson

8-3,0-0Atlantic 10

Davidson

Temple

Men's Basketball Program Wins 2,000th Game in Thrilling Fashion Over Davidson

12.18.24 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - Temple men's basketball won the 2,000th game in program history in comeback fashion, erasing a double-digit, second-half deficit to defeat Davidson, 62-61, at Liacouras Center on Wednesday evening. Junior Elijah Gray scored the game-winning basket with four seconds left as the Owls won their third straight game and improved to 7-4 on the year.

The victory puts Temple in elite company among NCAA Division I programs, as it joins Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, UCLA and Kansas as the only programs to win 2,000 games in history.

HOW IT HAPPENED

After a back-and-forth start, Davidson used a 9-0 run to take a 22-13 lead with 7:13 remaining in the first half.
The Owls struggled offensively in the opening period, shooting 29.6 percent from the floor and just 1-for-14 from three-point range.
Defense did keep the Owls within striking distance, as the margin was just seven at 31-24 heading to intermission.
The Wildcats bolstered their lead early on in the second half, and led by as many as 11 on two separate occasions before Temple began to find traction.
With the score at 52-43 in favor of Davidson with 5:55 to go, the Owls began to ratchet up the pressure defensively.
Two straight steals by graduate student Jamal Mashburn Jr. quickly led to points for Temple, and two free throws from Steve Settle III brought the home team to within 52-49 with just under five minutes left.
The margin remained at three with just over a minute remaining when Settle III connected on a game-tying triple from the top of the key to put the score at 58-58.
On the ensuing defensive play, senior Shane Dezonie blocked the shot of Davidson's Reed Bailey, ran the floor and dunked home the go-ahead hoop with 35 seconds left.
After a timeout, Davidson's Bobby Durkin briefly silenced the Liacouras Center crowd with a three-pointer from the right wing that regained a one-point lead for the Wildcats.
Undeterred, the Owls brought the ball back down court and called timeout, setting up an inbounds play that led to Gray's bucket.
Davidson had one final chance but a three from Connor Kochera fell short as Temple mobbed the court in victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

After shooting under 30 percent in the first half, the Owls shot an impressive 55.6 percent in the second half.
Gray had an impressive showing off the bench, scoring 13 points and grabbing six boards in 18 minutes of action.
Mashburn Jr. led the team in scoring with 19 points while sophomore Quante Berry had 11 points.
Temple's reserves outscored Davidson's 32-10, with Dezonie also chipping in with eight points and six rebounds.
Bailey finished with a game-high 26 points, six rebounds and four assists to lead Davidson.

UP NEXT

Temple will play its third game in a seven-day window on Saturday, December 21 when it takes part in the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in Springfield, Mass.
Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and the contest will air live nationally on CBS Sports Network.