City of Basketball Love

Stephen Pianovich (@SPianovich)
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Temple bounced back from a mid-week loss to East Carolina with a 70-63 win over South Florida on Sunday afternoon. It was the fourth win in five games for the Owls, who got a career-high 30 points from Quenton DeCosey.

At first…
The game was tight for most of the first half, and the Owls trailed by as much as four in the early goings, but DeCosey helped them keep things close, scoring nine consecutive points for Temple, including knocking down six free throws after being fouled on a pair of 3-point attempts. The Owls also got a boost from Jaylen Bond, who returned after missing the last two games with a back injury.

Turning point…
Temple went on a 12-4 run early in the second half, which grew the team’s 35-31 halftime lead into a 50-37 advantage. Obi Enechionyia, who finished with 13 points, nailed a triple to cap the spurt.

Shining stars…
It was a career day for DeCosey, who went 6-for-11 from the field and added another 14 points from the foul line, where he had 17 attempts. DeCosey’s previous career-high was 28 points, and that came against Central Florida in the American Athletic Conference Tournament on March 12, 2014.

Noteworthy numbers…
South Florida had a better shooting percentage than Temple (45.8 to 40.4), but the Bulls committed 13 turnovers to the Owls’ five. …Bond played 24 minutes off the bench. The senior forward scored eight points and grabbed three boards.

Up next…
Temple (12-8, 6-3 American) vs. Tulsa (Feb. 4, 7 p.m.)
USF (5-18, 2-8) at Cincinnati (Feb. 4, 8 p.m.)