Phila., Pa. (Dec. 19, 2015) --- The Delaware State men's basketball team gave Temple all it could handle for most of the game, but it was not enough as the Owls prevailed 78-63 at the Liacouras Center this afternoon to keep the Hornets winless this season.
The Hornets led by seven points in the first half and cut an 11-point deficit to two early in the second half before running out of gas.
Quenton Decosey led Temple with 20 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, while teammate Josh Brown added 14 points, highlighted by eight-for-eight shooting at the free throw line.
DeAndre Haywood scored a season-high 21 points on his 21st birthday to lead the Hornets. Haywood was eight-for-14 from the field, and also led DSU with four assists. He has 35 points in the last two games to lead the Hornets in scoring at 10.1 points per game this season.
Haywood's career-high is 23 points at Pennsylvania during the 2014-15 season.
Freshman guard Devin Morgan reached double-figures in scoring for the second straight game, adding 13 points for the Hornets.
Todd Hughes came off the bench for the first time this season to tally a season-high 13 points, while sophomore forward Dana Raysor contributed 11 points, his high as a Hornet. Raysor led all players with nine in the first half.
“I can't complain about our effort against a good Temple team in its building,” said Delaware State head coach Keith Walker. “It's frustrating for the guys that such an effort didn't result in a win, but we are making progress. We have two games left against major opponents (Dec. 22 at Utah; Dec. 28 at Texas Christian) that I hope will further prepare us for our MEAC schedule beginning in a couple of weeks.
The Hornets started quickly, scoring 10 straight points, including seven by Raysor, to open up a 10-3 lead. He capped off the rally with a three-pointer at the 14:52 mark of the first half.
Temple answered with a 10-2 run, and pulled ahead 13-12 on two free throws by Devin Coleman with 12 minutes remaining in the half.
Hughes had a basket and Scott Sill nailed a three-pointer on consecutive possessions to give the Hornets a 17-13 lead.
DSU led 23-19 before Temple started a late first-half run. The Owls outscored the Hornets 16-4 in the final 5:26 of the half to hold a 35-27 lead at the break.
The Hornets started another rally after trailing 39-28 early in the second half.
Haywood capped off a 9-0 DSU run with a lay-up and free throw off a Temple turnover to cut the Owls' lead to 39-37 with 16:23 left to play. The junior guard had five points, while Morgan and Raysor each had baskets during the rally.
Temple responded by scoring 12 of the next 14 points to regain control. Daniel Dingle hit two free throws at the 11:23 mark of the second half to give the Owls a 51-39 lead.
DSU pulled to within eight points on two occasions in the next five minutes, but could get no closer the rest of the way.
The Hornets were 21-for-54 from the field (38.9%), including five-of-17 on three-point shots (29.4%) in the game.
Temple shot 35.5% for the game, connecting on 22-of-62 shots overall from the field, and just four-of-27 from beyond the arc (14.8%).
The Owls won the rebound battle 48-33. The Hornets have been outrebounded in each game this season. Temple had 21 offensive boards, resulting in 17 points.
Free throws were also a factor in the game. Temple was 30-for-38 (78.9%) at the line, while DSU attempted 23 free throws, hitting 16 (69.6%).
The Owls scored 22 points off 15 Delaware State turnovers. Temple turned the ball over nine times, leading to 13 points for the Hornets.
Temple won for the fourth time in the last six games to improve to 5-5 this season, while the Hornets are 0-11.
The Hornets return to action on Tuesday (Dec. 22) on the road against first-time opponent Utah. Game time is 9 p.m. Eastern in Salt Lake City, UT. The Utes defeated No. 7 Duke 77-75 in overtime at Madison Square Garden in New York today.
STINGERS
Delaware State is now 0-2 vs. Temple … the teams met for the first time during the 2014-15 season … Raysor was in the starting line-up for the first time this seasons … DSU had its second-highest point total of the season … the Hornets had four players reach double-figures in scoring for the first time this season.
