Phila., Pa. (Dec. 28, 2014) ---Phila., Pa. (Dec. 28, 2014) --- Temple hit eight three-point field goals in the second half to hold off Delaware State 66-56 in a men's basketball contest at the Liacouras Center today.
The Hornets (5-8) hung around for much of the second half after trailing by 14 points early in the contest. Temple (9-4) led 31-21 at the break, but DSU cut the deficit to four (34-30) after a three-pointer by Amere May with 16:02 left to play. The Hornets pulled to within 52-43 at the 7:45 mark of the second half, and trailed 59-51 with 2:56 remaining in the game.
Temple won its previous game 77-52 over No. 10 Kansas on Dec. 22.
Both teams struggled with shooting in the contest. Delaware State was 18-for-62 from the field (29%), including five-of-23 on three-point shots (21.7%).
Temple shot 32.5% from the floor (25-for-77), including 31.4% from beyond the arc (11-for-35). The Owls hit eight-of-16 three-point shots in the second half after connecting on just three-of-19 in the first 20 minutes.
“I thought we had some good looks throughout the game, but couldn't knock down enough shots,” said Delaware State head coach Keith Walker. “I was pleased with our defensive effort and rebounding, although we didn't protect the ball as well as we needed to win the game. It's tough to beat a good team like Temple with poor shooting as double-digit turnovers.”
The Hornets turned the ball over 13 times, compared to five for the Owls.
May led all players with 22 points, his fourth game with 20-or-more points this season. He also grabbed a career-high seven rebounds in the contest.
Kendall Gray returned to action after missing DSU's previous game (Dec. 20 at Oregon) to score 11 points and grab 15 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season. Gray was second in the MEAC and 15th among all NCAA Div. I in double-doubles entering the contest. The 15 rebounds were one short of his career high set earlier this season.
Aric Dickerson came off the bench to add a season-high 11 points for the Hornets. Dickerson was three-for-four from the field, each from three-point territory.
Temple's Jesse Morgan hit five three-pointers on five attempts in the second half to help keep the Hornets at bay. Morgan led the Owls with 15 points. He also led all players with five assists.
Jaylen Bond also recorded a double-double, tallying 12 points and 18 rebounds for the Owls.
All 10 players who competed for Temple scored in the contest.
Despite Bond's 18 boards, Delaware State held a 53-48 rebound in the game.
Temple started fast in the game, opening up a 19-5 lead after a three-pointer by Josh Brown at the 10:22 mark of the first half. Delaware State went nearly six minutes without scoring during the TU spurt.
The Hornets answered with a 7-0 run, and pulled to within 19-12 on a lay-up by Gray with 7:32 left in the half. Gray had four points and May converted a three-point play during the run.
DSU outscored Temple 9-3 to start the second half to cause some nervousness for Owls' fans. May's second three-pointer of the game capped off another 7-0 Hornet run to pull the Hornets to within 34-30.
Morgan answered with his first three-pointer to stretch the Temple lead to seven. The Hornets trailed 37-32 when Morgan knocked down his second three-ball of the game. He nailed his third and fourth three-pointers after DSU pulled to within five on two other occasions in the second half.
Delaware State will be home for the first time since Dec. 10 for its next game. The Hornets will return to action on Jan. 5 against Cheyney (Pa.). Game time is 7 p.m. in Memorial Hall.
