Temple Earns Opening Night Win Over Delaware State

Wednesday, November 5

Philadelphia, Pa.

7:00 PM

Temple University

1-0,0-0American

Delaware State

0-1,0-0MEAC

Delaware St.

Temple

Temple Earns Opening Night Win Over Delaware State

11.5.25 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Adam Fisher Press Conference Aiden Tobiason and Gavin Griffiths Press Conference

PHILADELPHIA – Temple men's basketball (1-0, 0-0 AMER) defeated the Delaware State Hornets (0-1, 0-0 MEAC) 83-65 on opening night of the 2025-26 season in front of a crowd of 3,637 at the Liacouras Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The duo of Gavin Griffiths and Jordan Mason started the 2025-26 campaign strong for the Owls, combining for seven of Temple's first ten points.
Temple's defense held strong though the mid-stages of the first half, forcing the Hornet offense to endure a three-minute scoring drought. This defensive run was highlighted with a block by Aiden Tobiason.
While tightly contested through the opening frame, the Owls would establish a 14-rebound advantage through the first half with Babatunde Durodola ending the first 20 minutes with seven rebounds with the Owls leading by eight.
The start of the second half was tightly contested with each side trading shots. Derrian Ford and Aiden Tobiason led the charge early, with each recording seven points through the first ten minutes.
The Owls extended their lead to 19 points in the fourth courtesy of a 16-point surge from Tobiason, who would end his night with a career-high 23 points, sealing Temple's first win of the season.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

Griffiths eclipsed his season-high in points from 2024 (8) within the first 16 minutes of tonight's game (11).
Durodola went to work on the boards from the jump in tonight's contest. The Owl's lead returning rebounder tallied a game-leading seven rebounds just at halftime.
Turnovers played a big part at the conclusion of the opening half. Temple forced seven turnovers with Griffiths having one steal and one block as well as Tobiason.
Tobiason's night was strong throughout, but the second half was where he made most of his living. The sophomore notched 16 second half points and 23 overall on the night, setting a career-high.
Senior guard AJ Smith notched his 1,000^th career point in tonight's game. Smith spent his junior season at the College of Charleston and the first two years in his career at the Citadel.
The Cherry & White had five individuals score double-digit points in tonight's win. Tobiason led the way with 23 points, Griffiths had 16, Ford scored 14, and Mason and Smith each had 10 points to end the night.
Temple led from wire to wire, never surrendering the lead once. This is the first win for the Owls with zero lead changes or ties since the 2022-23 season opener against UMES.

UP NEXT

The Owls will return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 11 when the Explorers of La Salle University pay a visit to the Liacouras Center for a Big 5 battle. The contest will tip off at 7:00 PM on ESPN+. Fans can listen to the game at OwlSports.com/listen.