Shorthanded Temple beats UCF, 63-56
Temple announced Friday that it dismissed sophomore guards Jasha Clinton and Aniya Gourdine from the program.
But if the departure of the Owls’ third- and fifth-leading scorers was going to be a distraction, it didn’t show Saturday, as the shorthanded Owls defeated UCF 63-56 at the Liacouras Center.
Temple head coach Diane Richardson declined to comment after Saturday’s game on the dismissals of Clinton and Gourdine. Clinton, who was averaging 11.1 points per game, came to North Broad Street as the 2020 Gatorade Player of the Year out of Princess Anne High School, while Gourdine was averaging 4.8 points per game off the bench.
For a team that all season has preached an equal opportunity offense, that play style was clearly affected due to the dismissals, with three Owls contributing to 56 of Temple’s 63 points in the win.
“Determination,” Richardson said after the game. “They may not have scored, but they stopped some people from scoring. So I’m really really proud of them, really proud that we stuck together and got this win together.”
Temple improved to 9-11 overall and 4-4 in American Athletic Conference play, while UCF dropped to 10-9 and a 1-6 conference record.
Senior transfer guard Aleah Nelson, a first-team All-Colonial Athletic Association standout who played for Richardson at Towson last season before she took the Temple job, was responsible for 28 of the Owls’ points.
While it wasn’t her most efficient night from beyond the arc at 2 of 10, she scored when it counted.
“It’s the defense,” Nelson said. “I think down the stretch late in the fourth quarter, Coach Rich and all the other coaches emphasize getting stops. We have no problem with scoring the ball. It’s just about getting stops and building that momentum.”
Sophomore Tiarra East and junior Tarriyonna Gary added 12 and 16 points, respectively, to round out the bulk of the scoring for the Owls in the win.
For the Knights, Taylor Gibson and Destiny Thomas’ 15 and 16 points were not enough to give the Knights the win, as they fell to 10th in the conference after finishing first just last season.
Momentum swings
After a back-and-forth first quarter where the Knights led by two, the Owls took the lead early in the second quarter thanks to a 8-0 run highlighted by two Nelson threes and a East steal and score.
Carrying over into the second half, the matchup continued to be back and forth, as the Owls and the Knights traded baskets. To close out the third quarter, Caranda Perea fought for an offensive rebound and scored to tie the game at 43 heading into the fourth quarter, giving the Owls momentum.
Temple carried that momentum into the fourth quarter and went on an 8-2 run, which included two big Gary baskets that put the Owls in front for good.
The numbers
Both teams had their fair share of problems shooting the ball at times in the first half from the field and from three-point range, as UCF was just 33% from the field (9-27) and 14% from beyond the arc (1-7), while Temple was 29% from the field (10-35) and 31% from three-point range (4-13).
The shooting struggles ball beyond the arc continued into the second half, as UCF went 0-for-3 in the second half, and Temple went 3-for-11 in the second half from three-point range.
The Knights outplayed the Owls around the glass, outrebounding Temple by 47-39, with 20 of those rebounds on the offensive end, leading to extended possessions for the Knights.
Turnovers were a problem for both teams. UCF turned the ball over 22 times, and Temple committed 14 turnovers. Temple got 17 points off of those UCF turnovers, and UCF got 13 points off of Temple’s turnovers.
Up next
The Owls will host Wichita State (13-8, 3-5 American Athletic Conference) Wednesday at the Liacouras Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be televised on ESPN+.