Dunn, Owls prepare for Vanderbilt
Temple (5-3) heads to Vanderbilt (5-2) (8 p.m., SEC Network) Tuesday night for its first true road game of the season.
Redshirt freshman Damian Dunn was named last week’s Big 5 co-Player of the Week after averaging 21.5 points per game, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 steals on 61 percent shooting, including 40 percent from three.
Those numbers received a boost after Dunn scored 27 in Saturday’s Big 5 matchup against Penn.
Dunn wasn’t Temple’s only star, as junior center Jake Forrester scored a career-high 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the matchup against the Quakers. The best part of Forrester’s performance was his 7 of 8 split from the free throw line. Entering the night, Forrester was shooting 40 percent from the charity stripe.
Tuesday will be Temple’s second game this season without leading scorer Khalif Battle, who will miss the remainder of the regular season with a fractured fifth metatarsal in his left foot. The status of sophomore guard Tai Strickland and freshman center Emmanuel Okpomo are unknown for Tuesday’s matchup.
Freshman wing Quincy Ademokoya started in place of Battle Saturday, making his first two shots of the night before finishing 2 for 9. Off the bench, freshman wing Jahlil White was a highlight off the bench, going 3-for-3 and blocking three shots.
Tuesday’s key matchup will focus on how freshman point guard Jeremiah Williams defends Vanderbilt’s leading scorer, junior guard Scotty Pippen Jr.
Pippen is currently averaging 16.9 points per game on 42.6 percent shooting. Pippen is coming off a 29-point game in Saturday’s loss to SMU. On the surface, 29 points looks good. However, Pippen shot 38 percent from the floor Saturday.
In Vanderbilt’s previous loss to VCU, Pippen finished with 8 points on 20 percent shooting.
Junior forward Jordan Wright is the only other Commodore scoring in double figures, averaging 14.7 points per game on an efficient 48.6 percent from the field, including 39 percent from three.
Wright scored 14 points on 4 for 11 shooting in the loss to SMU.
Keys to the game
Temple is going to need the starting trio of Williams, Dunn, and Forrester to each score in double figures again in an attempt to keep pace with the scoring committee of Vanderbilt.
These two teams matchup fairly evenly in each category. For Temple, they’ll have to minimize the impact of Wright and force Pippen to win the game by himself. For Vanderbilt, they’ll have to shut down Dunn and force other perimeter players to score for the Owls.
The backcourt of Williams and Dunn is shooting a combined 26 percent from three this season. It would be smart for the Commodores to play some 2-3 zone to force the Owls to shoot them out of it.
However, the Owls proved against La Salle that they have no problem moving Dunn to the high post to break the zone. They also showed that pressing and trapping is an ineffective strategy over this four-game winning streak. Vanderbilt will have to constantly switch between 2-3, 3-2, and man-to-man coverage to keep Temple on its heels.
Without the 6-foot 6-inch Wright being the Commodores’ leading rebounder, Vanderbilt should avoid flirting with the 1-3-1 that Penn showed Temple Saturday night. The 6-foot 9-inch Forrester was easily able to impact the game with six offensive rebounds.