HOUSTON --Â In a back-and-forth contest that featured 12 lead changes, the Temple University men's basketball team closed strong on the road to defeat Rice, 69-65, Wednesday evening at Tudor Fieldhouse.
The Temple Owls (12-7, 4-2) bounced back after a pair of tough losses, while the Rice Owls (8-11, 2-4) will look to regroup ahead of a home game against Tulsa on Sunday.
With the game tied at 54-54, Temple outscored Rice 15-11 over the final 6:22, making all seven of its free throws in the closing stretch to hold off the Owls.
Derrian Ford, Aiden Tobiason and Jordan Mason each scored 15 points, while Gavin Griffiths added 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Mason dished six assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Temple's offense got off to a sluggish start, shooting 3-of-10 out of the gates as the home side built an early four-point lead six minutes into play. Griffiths set the tone defensively with two early blocks.
- Rice's offense stayed consistent into the middle stages of the first half, opening the game 57% from 3-point range as the Owls pushed the lead to as many as 10 with nine minutes remaining in the half.
- Temple eventually found momentum, using the perimeter to spark a 10-2 run as Mason and Griffiths knocked down 3-pointers to cut the margin to two.
- The remainder of the half featured back-and-forth play with six lead changes over the final four minutes, with Temple holding a one-point lead at the break.
- Ford hit the ground running to start the second half, burying a 3-pointer and converting from the interior on Temple's first two possessions. The game remained close, with Temple holding a slim two-point edge after the opening four minutes.
- Temple created some separation by pushing the lead to five with 12 minutes to play. Tobiason provided a spark in that stretch, reaching 12 points on the night as Temple maintained a narrow advantage.
- The contest remained tight down the stretch, with the margin not exceeding six points in the second half. Temple took a five-point lead with 2:52 remaining, with Ford leading the team in scoring at 13 points at that point. Rice answered quickly to cut the margin to two with 1:06 on the clock.
- Up two with 40 seconds remaining, Mason attacked the rim and earned a trip to the line, knocking down both free throws to extend Temple's lead to four with 14 seconds left. Forced to foul again, Ford converted both attempts at the stripe to seal the outcome as the Owls held on for the 69-65 victory.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Ford (15), Tobiason (15), Mason (15) and Griffiths (12) all reached double figures for Temple. It marked the first time four Owls scored in double figures since Temple hosted UTSA on Jan. 3.
- There were 12 lead changes, the most in a Temple game since the Owls' win against Hofstra on Nov. 19 and the second-most in a contest this season.
- After committing season highs in turnovers against Memphis (14) and Florida Atlantic (15), Temple settled down with six turnovers. After committing four turnovers in the first eight minutes, the Owls turned it over just twice over the final 32 minutes, including just one turnover in the second half.
- Temple knocked down 14-of-17 attempts from the free-throw line, posting its best free-throw percentage on the road (.824) of this season. The Owls only shot at a more efficient clip from the charity stripe against Saint Francis (12-14, .857).
- The Owls' committed their fewest fouls of the season, with 10.
- Temple improved to 6-1 all-time against Rice and moved to 4-0 against the Owls in Houston.
- Temple is tied for second in the league standings with Charlotte, Memphis, Tulsa and South Florida, with each team holding a 4-2 conference record.
UP NEXT
- Temple remains in the Lone Star State, making the 217-mile trek to San Antonio to face UTSA on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 2 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, with an audio broadcast available at OwlSports.com/listen.
