Temple brings ‘energy on defense’ until finding its way on offense in win over Hofstra

Temple started to panic when Hofstra guard Cruz Davis scored to cut its deficit to two points with three minutes remaining.

However, the Pride never got any closer on Wednesday night at the Liacouras Center. All Temple (3-1) had to do was make its free throws to earn an 81-76 win against Hofstra (2-3).

“I’m really proud of our guys, the resiliency to compete and play for 40 minutes,” said head coach Adam Fisher. “We knew this was going to be a tough task. I have the utmost respect for [Hofstra coach] Speedy Claxton. His team plays hard. They got great guard play. They’re so well-coached. They run great stuff. They’re so defensive-minded.”

(Claxton, who played collegiately at Hofstra under coach Jay Wright, was the 76ers’ first-round draft pick in 2000. He had a nine-season NBA career, though missed two with injuries.)

Next, Temple will travel to Orlando to take on the University of California-San Diego in the Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational on Monday (4:30 p.m., ESPNU)

Fisher said after Temple lost to Boston College last Saturday was due to a lack of shot-following. The Owls shot a mere 34.3% against the Eagles.

Against the Pride, Temple’s offense went stale for a long period, relying on its defense to keep them in the game. The Owls had a 10-point run five minutes into the first half, then made just two shots in the next five minutes.

When Aiden Tobiason knocked down a three-pointer to take over the lead, the Owls responded with a five-minute scoring drought, missing five shots.

“I think a big thing we harp on is our score is going to come,” Tobiason said. “Something we can control is our energy on defense. … I think we just harp on that and that will lead to us getting buckets.”

Those problems were eliminated after halftime, as Temple shot a resounding 13 of 24 from the field.

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Four players reached double digits, led by Tobiason’s 21 points, while forward Jamai Felt gave the team a boost with eight points off the bench. Felt had been on a minutes restriction following shoulder surgery in the offseason.

“I was just really focused on getting stops and getting rebounds so we can push the ball,” Felt said.

While Temple’s offense ran in place, it was up to the defense to get it out of neutral.

While the Pride shot 45.2%, the Owls’ defense held their own against an offense that averages 82.3 points.

Temple limited Hofstra’s shooting and slowed down its offense. Pride guard Biggie Patterson, who scored 10 of his 15 points in the first half, made just five in the second.

The Pride settled for three-pointers and made 9 of 28 attempts. Davis scored 20 of his 25 points after the break, but it wasn’t enough to bring Hofstra back.

“If we can control the glass, we can defend and rebound, we’re going to hopefully be in position [to win] every night,” Fisher said. “So that’s been a huge focus for us, defending and rebounding.”

An issue plaguing Temple this season is at the free throw line.

Temple missed seven free throws against Boston College, and on Wednesday, the Owls missed five of their 11 free throws in the first half.

However, Temple went to the line 20 times in the second frame and knocked down 18. It ultimately was the difference in the Owls securing a win.

Guard Derrian Ford, who finished with 20 points, was the main contributor at the line, drilling all nine, while Tobiason went 6-for-6.

“To win games like that, you have to make those and they stepped up,” Fisher said. “They knocked them down with great confidence. So really proud of the group.”