Temple shows it has several players who can score in a rout of La Salle

Just five minutes into Temple’s game against La Salle on Tuesday night, the Explorers held a one-point lead and had the chance to extend it.

But they didn’t.

Instead, Temple guard Aiden Tobiason drained a three-pointer to start a 10-point run, and the Owls never looked back. Temple led for 36 minutes, 10 seconds and La Salle didn’t hold a lead again — or even tie it.

The Owls had five players reach double digits, led by guard Derrian Ford’s 22 points, in a 90-63 win at the Liacouras Center. Temple is now one win away from competing in the Big 5 Classic championship. The Owls’ next Big 5 matchup is against Villanova on Dec. 1.

“I thought we really prepared the right way,” coach Adam Fisher said. “I thought these guys were totally locked in. It was kind of a funky schedule when you open on Wednesday and you almost have a whole week [off]. So we spent the beginning of the week just working on us. How do we get better? From the other night, how do we get better? And then we shifted our focus to La Salle.”

Temple will host Boston College on Nov. 15 (2 p.m., ESPN+).

Temple started its game against Delaware State on Nov. 5 sluggishly, needing a run early in the second half to pull away from a pesky Hornets team. It looked to be a similar case against La Salle, but the Owls responded quicker to get the Explorers off their backs.

Tobiason kick-started the team with four quick buckets, then an offensive avalanche ensued. Eleven Owls wound up scoring, and after a slow start, Temple shot 50% from the field. Guard AJ Smith (10 points) also gave the Owls a lift off the bench.

“That’s kind of how it’s been all summer,” Tobiason said. “We want each other to score, so that’s really how we play.”

After ranking last in the American Conference in assists last season, Temple finished with 20 against La Salle, the most for the Owls since they posted 21 against Wichita State on Feb. 16, 2023.

Guard Jordan Mason and forward Babatunde Durodola combined for 10 assists on Tuesday.

When Fisher was hired in April 2023, his main goal for the Owls was to play fast in transition and shoot more threes. They did just that on Tuesday, sinking 12 of 24 three-pointers.

The Owls began the game with three quick triples, two of which pushed their lead to five. The momentum kept going. Guard Gavin Griffiths went 2-for-5 and Tobiason made 3 of 6, while freshman guard Cam Wallace came off the bench and scored his first career college points from deep.

However, it was Ford who provided the biggest lift for Temple in the end, making 4 of 6 three pointers.

» READ MORE: Temple showcases its new talent and look in a season-opening win against Delaware State

“I just thank my teammates and coach staff for believing in me,” Ford said. “This has been my best season I could have, as far as the start.”

First-year Explorers coach Darris Nichols made it clear that his game plan was to focus on rebounding. However, that didn’t happen Tuesday, which Nichols acknowledged after the game.

The Owls put La Salle in a blender in the paint, winning the rebounding battle, 44-29, with 16 coming on the offensive side of the floor. Temple shut down a La Salle unit that entered the game with 20 offensive boards in its previous matchup.

Temple also finished with eight blocks. La Salle was limited to 30 points in the paint compared to Temple’s 38, and the Owls managed to put up 15 second-chance points off their rebounds.

“​​I think the biggest thing was not letting them get second-chance points,” Tobiason said. “We owned the boards this game, and that was a big emphasis.”