Despite sluggish second half, Temple prevails over East Carolina to extend winning streak

Temple looked like it would easily secure its seventh straight victory by beating East Carolina, a team that sits at the bottom of the American Conference, on Wednesday at the Liacouras Center.

The Owls (11-5, 3-0 American) carried a 15-point lead into halftime. Then ECU started to crawl back. The Pirates (5-10, 0-2) got within five points in second half, but it was too little too late.

A 29-point surge from ECU guard Jordan Riley wasn’t enough as Temple shook off its horrid offensive slump and finished with a 75-67 victory, marking its longest winning streak since the 2014-15 season.

“We told our guys at halftime, ‘Hey, they’re going to ramp it up. They’re going to go on a run. We’ve got to be ready,’” coach Adam Fisher said. “I know we got a little stagnant and didn’t score as much as we would have liked in parts of that second half. But winning is hard. ... So again, I’m really proud of our guys and I thought it took everybody to prepare the right way and then to get this win here tonight.”

Next, Temple will face a true test in the American when the Owls visit defending conference champion Memphis (7-7, 2-0) on Wednesday (8 p.m., ESPN+).

Temple’s mentality all season has been simply to play defense. The Owls had one of the worst defenses in the country last season, and they’ve shown signs of improvement this year, allowing 70.4 points per game, the fourth-lowest average in the American.

On Wednesday, the Pirates had little room to breathe as Temple searched for momentum on offense.

The result was 12 turnovers, with eight coming in the first half. ECU had multiple scoreless stretches, including a five-minute drought, which helped Temple push the lead to seven points.

The biggest win was Temple’s success on the glass. After ECU center Giovanni Emejuru picked up his second foul, Temple managed to get through.

Guards Gavin Griffiths, who finished with a season-high 24 points, and Masiah Gilyard were key contributors for the Owls, as they finished with six and five rebounds, respectively.

Griffiths also was Temple’s best defender. He swatted away four shots and had two steals.

Toward the end of the half, Griffiths ended his 12-minute scoreless stretch with a three-pointer. Owls guard Derrian Ford, who missed the last game with an injury, started finding his rhythm. He finished with 18 points, with 10 coming at the free-throw line.

But the offensive slump returned after halftime.

The Pirates clamped down after the break, limiting any chance for the Owls to stay comfortable.

Guard Aiden Tobiason, who is second on the team in scoring, was a nonfactor. His first and only field goal came late in the game, as he finished with four points.

Temple finished the second half going 8-for-22 and had six turnovers, forcing the defense to save the game. Then came a big three-pointer from Griffiths to make it 65-56 with 3 minutes, 21 seconds left.

“I just felt like I was open, so I was going to shoot it,” Griffiths said. “My teammates did a great job finding me. I think I only took one dribble for my three. So most of them are catch-and-shoot.”

Temple’s game plan was to stop Riley. The former Temple guard entered his homecoming as the conference’s leading scorer with 20.8 points per game, powering an offense that averages 67.3.

In the first half, Riley was stuffed. But in the second half, the seal was lifted, and Temple had no way to stop him.

“Jordan Riley is a fantastic player,” Fisher said. “I thought Jordan made some tough shots. He gets downhill. We know how good he can be, but in the second half they were really good, and we’ve got to be better. Our second-half defense wasn’t where we needed to be.”

Riley’s 23 second-half points kept the Pirates in the game as they finished the half with 46 points. But ultimately Temple’s lead was too big to overcome.