Temple University Athletics
Friday, November 13
Annapolis, Md.
7:00 p.m.
Temple University
0-1
67
vs
91
North Carolina
1-0
1
2
F
Temple
36
31
67
North Carolina
47
44
91
Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University
Men's Basketball Falls to #1/1 North Carolina in Season Opener at Veterans Classic
11.13.15 | Men's Basketball
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - After hanging with #1/1 North Carolina for much of the first half, Temple men's basketball was unable to keep up down the stretch and lost 91-67 to the Tar Heels in the opening game of the 2015-16 season. The contest was part of the Veterans Classic hosted by the Naval Academy, and was played in front of a sold-out crowd of 5,710 at Alumni Hall.
Senior Devin Coleman led three scorers in double figures for Temple, putting up a career-high 19 points including 16 in the first half. Freshman Levan Shawn Alston, Jr., scored 12 in his debut as an Owl, hitting 5-of-7 from the field including two treys. Senior Quenton DeCosey scored 11 points while senior Jaylen Bond led Temple with eight boards and junior Josh Brown dished six assists to lead all players in the game.
The Tar Heels got a game-high 25 points from Kennedy Meeks, who hit 10-of-14 from the floor and made it a double-double with a game-high 11 rebounds. Three others also hit double figures for UNC, with another double-double coming from Brice Johnson (16 points, 10 boards).
The halftime score was 47-36 in favor of the Tar Heels, but was not indicative of a tough first half by the Owls and Coleman. UNC closed the half on a 13-2 run in the final two and a half minutes, making six of its final seven shots from the field.
Coleman tied his career high in just the first half, scoring 16 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field and 6-of-6 at the line. Two of his free throws were the first points of the game, and the Owls took a 7-2 lead in the opening three minutes.
The Tar Heels took their first lead during a 9-0 run near the 14-minute mark and did not trail for the rest of the half. They led 32-28 before Coleman went on to score eight straight points for Temple including a pair of treys, with the second tying the game at 34-34 with 2:52 left in the period. The Owls' only points the rest of the way were two scored on Brown's first bucket of the game with 11 seconds left.
UNC scored 10 second-chance points in the first half to Temple's two, out-rebounding the Owls 23-12. Three players were in double figures for the Tar Heels by halftime, led by Meeks with 12.
Temple scored five of the first seven points to open the second half, with Coleman hitting his third three-pointer of the contest. It would be his last bucket of the game, and the Owls had trouble coming up with an answer for UNC for much of the rest of the game.
Freshman Trey Lowe was a bright spot for Temple near the midway point of the half, scoring eight points in a row including back-to-back three-pointers. Brown made another trey for Temple at 9:52 to cut the deficit to nine, but the Owls would get no closer the rest of the way.
UNC built a 20-point lead with just under six minutes to go after an 11-0 run. Freshman Ernest Aflakpui stopped the run with his first career points, and Alston then hit back-to-back shots from behind the arc to pull Temple within 14, 78-64 at 4:21. Alston would be the only Owl to score from the field the rest of the way, hitting one more jumper as UNC closed the game on a 13-3 run.
Next up for the Owls is the Puerto Rico Tip-Off from Nov. 19-22. Temple will face Minnesota in its first game at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19 (ESPNU/1210 AM WPHT).
Box Score | Press Conference | Photo Gallery
Senior Devin Coleman led three scorers in double figures for Temple, putting up a career-high 19 points including 16 in the first half. Freshman Levan Shawn Alston, Jr., scored 12 in his debut as an Owl, hitting 5-of-7 from the field including two treys. Senior Quenton DeCosey scored 11 points while senior Jaylen Bond led Temple with eight boards and junior Josh Brown dished six assists to lead all players in the game.
The Tar Heels got a game-high 25 points from Kennedy Meeks, who hit 10-of-14 from the floor and made it a double-double with a game-high 11 rebounds. Three others also hit double figures for UNC, with another double-double coming from Brice Johnson (16 points, 10 boards).
The halftime score was 47-36 in favor of the Tar Heels, but was not indicative of a tough first half by the Owls and Coleman. UNC closed the half on a 13-2 run in the final two and a half minutes, making six of its final seven shots from the field.
Coleman tied his career high in just the first half, scoring 16 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field and 6-of-6 at the line. Two of his free throws were the first points of the game, and the Owls took a 7-2 lead in the opening three minutes.
The Tar Heels took their first lead during a 9-0 run near the 14-minute mark and did not trail for the rest of the half. They led 32-28 before Coleman went on to score eight straight points for Temple including a pair of treys, with the second tying the game at 34-34 with 2:52 left in the period. The Owls' only points the rest of the way were two scored on Brown's first bucket of the game with 11 seconds left.
UNC scored 10 second-chance points in the first half to Temple's two, out-rebounding the Owls 23-12. Three players were in double figures for the Tar Heels by halftime, led by Meeks with 12.
Temple scored five of the first seven points to open the second half, with Coleman hitting his third three-pointer of the contest. It would be his last bucket of the game, and the Owls had trouble coming up with an answer for UNC for much of the rest of the game.
Freshman Trey Lowe was a bright spot for Temple near the midway point of the half, scoring eight points in a row including back-to-back three-pointers. Brown made another trey for Temple at 9:52 to cut the deficit to nine, but the Owls would get no closer the rest of the way.
UNC built a 20-point lead with just under six minutes to go after an 11-0 run. Freshman Ernest Aflakpui stopped the run with his first career points, and Alston then hit back-to-back shots from behind the arc to pull Temple within 14, 78-64 at 4:21. Alston would be the only Owl to score from the field the rest of the way, hitting one more jumper as UNC closed the game on a 13-3 run.
Next up for the Owls is the Puerto Rico Tip-Off from Nov. 19-22. Temple will face Minnesota in its first game at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19 (ESPNU/1210 AM WPHT).
Box Score | Press Conference | Photo Gallery
Team Stats
TU
NC
FG%
.387
.507
3FG%
.360
.583
FT%
.588
.696
RB
32
49
TO
8
9
STL
5
6
Game Leaders
Pts
19
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
6
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
C
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G
/ Men's Basketball
F
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