skip navigation

Temple's supporting cast helps pull out close win against Drexel

12/16/2017, 9:45pm EST
By Owen McCue

On a night when sophomore guard Quinton Rose and senior forward Obi Enechionyia both went 2-of-10 from the floor, Temple needed some help on the offensive end.

The Owls got 12 points from junior guard Shizz Alston Jr. and eight from senior guard Josh Brown, but with their two other top scoring options struggling, someone from Temple's supporting cast needed to rise to the occasion.

Coach Fran Dunphy got contributions from a number of individuals—seven Owls had six-or-more points—as Temple held on to beat Drexel, 63-60, in a tight City 6 matchup at the Liacouras Center.

“The number of shots weren’t disproportionate, and the scoring was balanced,” Dunphy said. “There just wasn’t enough of it. We needed to play better and run better offense.”

For a stretch sophomore guard Alani Moore, who had eight points in the first half, guided the Owls’ offense. Freshman wing De’Vondre Perry added six first-half points, including a fastbreak dunk. Sophomore forward Damion Moore made the most of his time on the flooring adding eight points in 13 minutes.

Down the stretch, junior forward Ernest Aflakpui, who was on the floor for his defense, was the guy making big buckets for the Owls. After Sammy Mojica’s three gave Drexel its first lead of the second half with 2:42 left, Alston found Aflakpui rolling to the basket for a layup to put the Owls back on top 57-56 with 1:47 to go.

With 24 seconds left in the game and the Owls up by two, Rose broke Drexel’s press and found Aflakpui for another layup to give Temple a 61-57 lead with with 24 seconds left.

Dragons’ sophomore guard Kurk Lee Jr. knocked down a three with 15 seconds left, but two free throws by Enechionyia and a missed three by Lee at the buzzer made sure Aflakpui’s efforts came in a win.

“He did a good job,” Dunphy said of Aflakpui, who finished with eight points. “He made those two layups at the end, and I was appreciative of that.”

Rose, who is averaging 17 points per game on the season, finished with just five points on Saturday. It was his lowest point total of the season and only his second single-digit scoring effort on the year.

After a hot start, Enechionyia has cooled off, shooting 4-of-25 in his last three games, but with the consistency of Rose and Alston, who is averaging 16 points per game, Temple’s supporting cast hasn’t been called on too often this season.

Prior to Saturday’s game the team had at least 20 points off the bench twice in nine games, one of which was Damion Moore’s  20-point outing in a win against South Carolina at Madison Square Garden.

The Owls came into Saturday averaging 12.7 points per game off the bench. Temple’s 22 bench points against Drexel was its second highest of the season.

“We’re all going to struggle some games, so we have to pick each other up,” Alston said. “Q struggled today, but I think Alani hit two big threes for us. Once Q and Obi get out their little slump, we’ll be fine.”

Alani Moore is one of the most intriguing pieces off the bench for Temple. He started 23 games for the Owls as a freshman last season, averaging 6.5 points in nearly 26 minutes per game.

Moore finds himself in a unique situation as a sophomore. With Brown back in the mix after a redshirt season, Moore has seen his role reduced. Through the Owls’ first 10 games of the 2017-18 campaign, the 5-foot-10 guard hasn’t started a game and is averaging 5.2 points per contest in eight minutes less per game than last season.

“Every night I come out and do the same thing,” Moore said. “Some nights might not be my night, but some nights might, so I just gotta go out there and play the same every time.”

Moore reached double figures in two of the Owls' first three games, but he has yet to replicate those performances since.

If he can find a way to score consistently as a shooter off the bench like Devin Coleman, who averaged 9.2 points per game for Temple's 2015-16 NCAA Tournament team, the Owls could be dangerous.

“He’s figuring it out, I think he’s doing a better job,” Alston added. “It’s tough for anybody to go from starting and playing 30 minutes to coming off the bench...He’s figuring it out, and I think he’s going to get it eventually.”


HS Coverage:

Recruiting News:

Tag(s): Home  Events  Division I  Drexel  Temple  Big 5  CoBL 5  Owen McCue