Hysier Miller drops 29, but Temple falls to Columbia for head coach Adam Fisher’s first loss

Temple typically can be counted on for hustle and energy, but that was nowhere to be found Saturday in a 78-73 loss to Columbia.

The Lions’ superior ball movement led to plenty of open looks at the basket, and they held the Owls (3-1) at arm’s length throughout the second half, despite a late push.

“It’s a lot of firsts,” Temple head coach Adam Fisher said on his first loss.” I think being on the road for two and coming back home, everybody is anxious to play well at home. But this is where you got to come more together. This is the first time we’ve seen adversity. I thought our locker room was upbeat, positive, angry, upset, and hurt. It’s all emotional. It’s OK to have all of those emotions, but we can’t allow for one to become two, and we have to learn from it, get better, and then come back next game.”

Temple point guard Hysier Miller led all scorers with 29 points on 10-of-22 shooting and was the main source of the Owls’ offense — though Matt Picarelli (18) an Jahlil White (11) also finished in double figures.

“We have to do a better job at getting other people involved,” Fisher said. “[Miller] did a nice job tonight of picking his shots. He makes big plays and is a big time player, so he’s got the trust in our whole program to go out there and take the shots he feels are the best. I’m proud of him.”

Columbia (3-2) was 12-for-25 from three-point range, largely on wide-open looks. Avery Brown led the Lions with 13 points, while Jaden Cooper went 3-for-4 from deep and finished with 11.

Miller led the charge early, scoring his team’s first seven points as Columbia began the game in a zone — something that gave the Owls fits last time out against Drexel.

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Meanwhile, Temple struggled mightily on defense in the first half. Columbia shot 56.7% in the first half (49.1% for the game) and made 8 of 14 threes as the Owls trailed by seven at the buzzer, their first halftime deficit of the season.

The Owls came out of the break slowly, which allowed the Lions to build a 14-point lead with 13 minutes, 31 seconds to go. Miller hit a three and Zion Stanford added a layup, two free throws, and a block to cut the deficit in half, but it was a quick burst and didn’t lead to a comeback.

Columbia hit key shots down the stretch, though it was held without a field goal for the final three minutes, and kept multiple possessions alive with offensive rebounds (six of their eight offensive boards came in the second half). Trailing by seven with about five minutes left, the Owls finally got consecutive stops but Miller and Picarelli missed threes on the other end both times.

Though Columbia made itself known from the start, Temple actually took a six-point lead at the 2:35 mark of the first half. But the Lions grabbed control from there and went on a 17-0 run that bled into the second half and ended with the visitors leading by 11.

Temple remains at home for a doubleheader at the Liacouras Center. The Owls will host Mississippi (4-0) on Wednesday (3:30 p.m., ESPN+).