Matteo Picarelli set a personal best at Temple with 23 points, but a second half rally by South Florida saw the Bulls escape with a 75-69 win against the Owls.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Picarelli tied a career-high with six three-pointers.
- Hysier Miller tallied 16, connecting on four triples for a second consecutive game.
- Jahlil White scored 13, adding five rebounds and a season-high six assists.
- Jordan Riley netted 11 and led the Owls with seven rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Temple got off to a good start, opening on a 9-2 run, thanks in large part to three-pointers by Picarelli and Sam Hofman. TU continued to shoot well, starting 4-for-5 from beyond the arc, building a 21-13 lead midway through the half.
USF came back, using a 10-4 run, scoring eight of the points at the line. Temple responded with an 8-3 spurt of its own, making it a seven-point margin with 3:19 left in the frame. Late in the half, it was the defense that came up big, holding the Bulls to one field goal in the final six minutes of the frame as TU held a 35-31 lead at intermission.
It remained a close game in the opening stages of the second half as USF made a move and took its first lead of the night. Miller and White returned the run immediately with back-to-back treys, returning the Temple lead to 46-41.
The Owls eventually pushed the run to 17-7 before South Florida started to respond. The Bulls made seven shots in a row, opening a 68-63 advantage. Temple scored four in a row to bring it back to 68-67, but USF hit a couple of clutch shots in the final minute to hold on.
UP NEXT
The Owls play the first of two games in a row on the road, starting with a contest at East Carolina on Sunday, January 28. Tipoff from Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum in Greenville, N.C. is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. with the game slated to be broadcast on ESPN2.
