Temple cruises past Division II Georgian Court, 103-57

PHILADELPHIA – Temple entered its matchup against Georgian Court 72 hours removed from its buzzer-beater loss to Saint Joseph’s in the third place game of the Big 5 Classic and was looking to get right.

The Owls’ gut-punch loss to the Hawks was their third straight and dropped them below the .500 mark. Fortunately, Division II Georgian Court gave Temple a perfect opportunity for redemption.

Just 10 minutes in, it was obvious that was the case. 

The Owls used a 17-point first-half run to handle the Lions 103-57 at The Liacouras Center Tuesday night. It marked the first time Temple eclipsed 100 points since its win over Holy Family almost a year ago. 

“I thought we played the right way,” said Temple head coach Adam Fisher. “Obviously, last time out was tough and it’s, ‘How do you regroup? 
How does the locker room respond?’ I thought we had some really good days. We had some good film sessions to get better. I’m glad you get to play Tuesday, you don’t have to wait a while after that [loss to St. Joe’s]. Let’s get right back to work.”

The Owls (5-5) shot 59% from the field, led by six players who reached double-digit scoring. Guard Derrian Ford led the way with a team-high 18 points, and fellow guards Aiden Tobiason and Gavin Griffiths pitched in 17 and 14, respectively.

But it was guard Jordan Mason who put it all together, finishing with a career-high 11 assists. His ability to generate open shots for his teammates off pick-and-rolls led to Temple playing one of its better offensive games this season, given the context of facing a Division II opponent.

“It feels great [to get my teammates involved],” Mason said. “I get to see all the work that they put in all the time and it’s just so easy to trust them, and I know that they’re gonna make shots because of the work we put in since summer. So it’s good to see it happen in the game.”

The Owls were without guard AJ Smith for the second consecutive game, as the Charleston transfer is dealing with a re-aggravated shoulder injury. Fisher said there is not a timeline for Smith’s return, and the team is seeing how his rehab goes to determine whether he can play through pain or not.

Guards Masiah Gilyard and Cam Wallace stepped up in Smith’s absence with 11 points apiece. 

Listen to Tuesday night’s postgame interview with Fisher, Mason and Connor Gal here.

Assessing Temple after 10 games

With 10 games under their belt, the Owls are searching for consistency on both ends of the court. 

Temple entered Tuesday delivering the eighth-most points per game in the American Conference with 75.6, which is reflective of the offense’s highs and lows. The Owls have not yet solidified an offensive structure with 11 new players, giving way to cold spells that have proved to be detrimental. 

Tobiason and forward Babatunde Durodola – two of Temple’s four returning players from last season – were expected to take leaps in their sophomore campaigns, but that hasn’t entirely been the case. 

Tobiason totaled 14.3 points through nine games, a 9.5-point increase from his freshman year, and 2.1 assists. The sophomore has improved as a three-level scorer but is still expanding his repertoire as one of Temple’s primary initiators. 

Durodola, on the other hand, posted 4.4 points on 39% shooting from the field in his first nine contests. He has struggled to find a role within the Owls’ offense, but his biggest issue stems from the defensive end. 

Durodola fouled out in two consecutive games, finding trouble picking his spots defensively and exerting excessive physicality. As a result, Fisher started forward Jamai Felt in Durodola’s place Tuesday for the first time this season. 

“I thought I’d try to take some pressure off Baba,” Fisher said. “Last week he played 20 minutes and had 10 fouls. He struggled a little bit. 
He’s a fantastic player. We love him. We thought this might just be a way to help him watch for a few minutes and get back out there. 
So that was really what went into it, talked to him, then we talked to Jamai after. But again, we’ve tried to rotate guys at the five. You know we have bodies there.”

Temple allows the fourth-most points per game in the conference. Without a consistent paint presence, the Owls have struggled to seal off dribble penetration, allowing high-percentage shots to the opposition. Although Temple has a collective of quality perimeter defenders, its defense won’t reach its full potential until it receives consistent rim protection.

It hasn’t been all bad for the Owls, however.

Ford has emerged as Temple’s leading scorer while Mason has provided primary ball-handling. Felt continues to ramp up, showing flashes of quality two-way output. The Owls could potentially have the pieces to evolve into one of American’s better teams. It’s simply a matter of establishing consistency in their identity composed of defense creating offense.

“We got to keep getting better defensively and defending and rebounding, it all starts with that,” Fisher said. “I think we’re a pretty good transition offensive team. 
When we share the ball offensively, I think we’ve been really good this year, no matter who the opponent is. But it’s got to be the defensive rebounding, defensive rebounding, defensive rebounding and eliminating some mental lapses.”

Temple will remain at home to face Saint Francis (Pa.) Sunday at noon.