Temple goes cold in 65-48 loss to Central Florida
The Owls shot only 26.8% from the field in the American Athletic Conference defeat.
Temple tied its season-low point total Wednesday night as the Owls dropped their American Athletic Conference opener, 65-48, to Central Florida at the Liacouras Center. The hosts failed to eclipse the 50-point mark for the second straight game.
Neither team gained a significant advantage early on despite poor shooting performances. The Knights (7-2) broke the game open after halftime. UCF went on a 7-0 run over about one minute to open the second half. Brandon Mahan scored 18 points and Darin Green Jr. had 17 to lead the winners.
Freshman forward Nick Jourdain ended the run, nailing a three-pointer to cut Temple’s deficit to four with 18 minutes, 10 seconds remaining in the game.
The Knights responded with another run, this time producing eight points in four minutes, to take a 34-22 lead, one that proved to be insurmountable.
Temple’s duo of Jeremiah Williams and Damian Dunn shouldered most of the scoring burden with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Jake Forrester and Jahlil White added six apiece for the Owls (6-5).
Jourdain gets the start
Jourdain got the nod for Temple’s starting forward position against UCF, replacing Sage Tolbert.
It was likely a decision to move a forward who can shoot into the starting five. Jourdain missed his first three shots, two of which were three-point attempts. His minutes dwindled in the first half.
Jourdain’s only three-pointer of the night came on an open look from the left wing. The freshman Williams engaged a double team, sneaking a pass over two defenders to find Jourdain.
Wednesday night was the forward’s fourth career start and first of the season. Jourdain finished with five points on 1-of-8 shooting from the field, including 1 for 5 from three. His biggest contribution this season has come as a stretch four and a rim protector.
Low-scoring affair
Neither team reached double digits in the scoring column through 11 minutes of play. Temple was fairly stout defensively against a Knights team entering the game shooting 46.6% from the field this season.
UCF’s second-leading scorer, fifth-year guard Darius Perry, was held scoreless, fouling out late in the second half.
The Owls followed up a season-low 31.3% shooting performance against St. Joseph’s on Saturday by shooting 26.8% from the field in Wednesday’s loss.