City of Basketball Love

Jeff Griffith (@Jeff_Griffith21)
--

In a thrilling finish, the Temple Owls (7-6, 2-1 American) earned their second win against an AAC ranked opponent on the road, knocking off the 23rd-ranked Connecticut Huskies (10-4, 1-1 American) at the XL Center Tuesday night.

At First…
Once Temple nipped an 11-3 UConn run to start the game, the opening half became about as close it gets, with neither team leading by more than five. A nice spurt right before the break gave Temple a halftime lead of 30-27.

Turning Point…
Temple opened up the half hot, to take a six-point lead, but the Huskies were able to keep it close and the game ended up going down to the wire.

The final minute wasn’t pretty until the bitter end, as the Owls were called for two shot clock violations in the waning possessions. However, Josh Brown was able to hit a running shot in the lane to seal the victory with two seconds left; Sterling Gibbs’ half-court heave bricked off the top of the backboard as the buzzer sounded.

Shining Stars…
While Brown’s shot was the game-winner, arguably the key for Temple in the victory was Jaylen Bond, who had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Owls. The leading scorer for Temple, however, was Quenton DeCosey with 15.

Connecticut’s Shonn Miller led all scorers with 18.

Noteworthy Numbers…
Connecticut head coach Kevin Ollie can’t be happy with his team’s three-point shooting; the Huskies went just 4-of-20 from long distance, while Temple shot a slightly more respectable 7-of-18.

The Owls were also able to win a nice advantage under the basket, out-rebounding UConn 40-34.

Up Next…
Temple (7-6, 2-1) vs. East Carolina (Jan. 9, 9:00 p.m.)
No. 23 Connecticut (10-4, 1-1) vs. Memphis (Jan. 9, 7:00 p.m.)