Men's Basketball Takes on Charlotte on Sunday

Sunday, February 11

Philadelphia, Pa.

2:00 P.M.

Temple University

Charlotte

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Photo by: Nic Terry Productions

Men's Basketball Takes on Charlotte on Sunday

2.10.24 | Men's Basketball

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Game Info: Sunday, February 11, 2024 - 2:00 p.m. EST
Location: Liacouras Center - Philadelphia, Pa.
TV: ESPN+ | Listen: 1210 WPHT | Live Stats: Owlsports.com | International Feed | Tickets

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Opening Tip
The Temple University men's basketball team plays its second consecutive home game, hosting the Charlotte 49ers on Sunday, February 11. Tipoff from the Liacouras Center is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. The game is presented by Temple Culinary Services. It is the Owls Black History Month game.

Honoring The Past
At halftime, Temple will recognize the 1998-99 team for the 25th anniversary of its Elite Eight run. That squad went 24-11 and was the runner-up in the A10 tournament. During the season the Owls had a thrilling victory against No. 5 Michigan State at home and defeated Kent State, Cincinnati and Purdue in the NCAA tournament.

Last Time Out - Owls Rally Against Memphis Falls Short
Trailing by more than 20 points in the first half, the Owls used a blistering second half shooting performance to close within three points in the final minute, but TU fell to the Memphis Tigers 84-77 on Thursday night.

BY THE NUMBERS

Jahlil White dropped 20 points for the second consecutive game and added eight rebounds.
Shane Dezonie had his first career double-double with personal bests of 15 points and 10 boards.
Jordan Riley scored 13 and grabbed nine caroms.
Zion Stanford and Hysier Miller each netted 12.
Temple shot 51.9 percent from the floor and went 6-for-12 from beyond the arc in the second half.
It marked just the second time this season the Owls scored 50 or more points in a half.

Dezonie Delivers
Apparently a holiday trip to Hawai'i was just the thing to kick start the season for Shane Dezonie. The junior guard from Pocono Mountains, Pa. has averaged 8.2 points and 4.3 rebounds a game in 12 contests since the beginning of the Diamond Head Classic, playing 22.1 minutes an outing and leads the Owls in three-point percentage. Six of his eight games in double figures have come since December 21, including 14 at SMU and a career-high 15 against Memphis. He also pulled in a personal best 10 boards against the Tigers for his first double-double. By contrast, in Temple's first 10 games of the year, Dezonie appeared in six, with 5.5 points and 2.7 rebounds a night in 10.8 minutes.

Welcome Back Z
Zion Stanford had his best game since December against Memphis with 12 points and five rebounds. After scoring in double figures in six of the first nine games, Stanford recorded his seventh 10+ point game of the year against the Tigers.

Team Effort
Temple had five players in double figures against Memphis. It was the first time since December 16 at VCU that it accomplished the feat.

Lucky Number 13
No, the Owls haven't leaned that hard into the Swifties bandwagon, but after scoring 12 points at Tulane on February 4, Steve Settle III is just 13 points away from the 1,000 mark in his career.

Scouting Report
Despite a 72-69 setback against South Florida in its last game, Charlotte enters play as one of the surprise teams in the American Athletic Conference with a 14-8 record and an 8-2 mark in AAC play. The 49ers were picked 13th in the conference preseason poll.

It is a very balanced attack for Charlotte, which has four of its five starters averaging between 10 and 15 points a game. Lu'Cye Patterson tops the list at 14.1 a game followed by Igor Milicic, Jr. and Dishon Jackson at 13.1 and 11.2 respectively. Rounding out the quartet is Nik Graves, who nets 10.2 an outing. Milicic tops the rebounding list at 8.4 a contest, good for fourth in the AAC. Graves has 63 assists.

Home court advantage has been a major factor for the 49ers who are 10-1 at Halton Arena with conference wins against Florida Atlanic, UAB and North Texas. They surrender just 59.5 points a game at home.

Overall, defense has been the calling card for Charlotte, which ranks 23rd nationally at 64.5 points per game allowed. It also holds opponents down from beyond the arc, surrendering just 30.8 percent from three-point range, 53rd in NCAA Division I. Another thing it does well is value the ball, leading the AAC and ranking 20th nationally at just 9.6 turnovers per game.

For as well as the 49ers have played at home, the road has been a different story. They are 3-5 away from Halton Arena, scoring 7.8 points per game less and giving up 11.6 an outing more on the road. A methodical offense, Charlotte ranks 323rd in NCAA Division I at just 6.32 fastbreak points a contest.

Aaron Fearne is in his first season as the head coach of the 49ers and his sixth season with the team overall. It is far from his first head coaching stint, however as he mentored the Cairns Taipans in the Australian NBL for nine seasons and was the U-19 coach for New Zealand in 2018.

All-Time Series
Sunday is the 15th all-time meeting between the Owls and 49ers with Temple holding a 9-5 series edge. TU has won four in a row.

Last Time Against Charlotte
Scootie Randall scored 18 points and Temple held Charlotte to 27.4 percent shooting in a 71-51 Owls win on February 24, 2013. Khalif Wyatt and Jake O'Brien were also in double figures with 12 and 10 points respectively.

Back Together
While it is the first time Temple and Charlotte play as AAC opponents, it is far from the first time the schools have met in a conference game. The Owls and 49ers played 11 times as A10 foes from 2005-13. The first game between the schools came in 1980-81.

Up Next
Temple gears up for one of its toughest games of the season, traveling to No. 20 Florida Atlantic on Thursday, February 15. Tipoff from FAU Arena in Boca Raton, Fla. is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. with the game airing on ESPN2.