Balanced Scoring Effort Leads Men's Basketball Past NJIT, 68-63

Saturday, December 17

Liacouras Center

2:00 p.m.

Temple University

8-4

NJIT

5-8

NJIT

Temple

Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University

Balanced Scoring Effort Leads Men's Basketball Past NJIT, 68-63

12.17.16 | Men's Basketball

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PHILADELPHIA - In a close contest throughout that saw seven ties and nine lead changes, Temple men's basketball held on in the end for a 68-63 win over visiting NJIT (5-8) on Saturday afternoon. The Owls (8-4) got scoring from all eight of their players in the game, led by senior Obi Enechionyia with 13 points.

The game had its seventh tie in the final minute, but Shizz Alston, Jr. made a layup and a pair of free throws as Temple scored the final four points and forced a turnover to get the win. Alston finished with 10 points and four assists, hitting 6-of-6 at the line.

Daniel Dingle made 3-of-6 from long range on his way to an 11-point effort, and Alani Moore II added four assists to nine points. Both Mark Williams and Quinton Rose came off the bench for eight points, and Ernest Aflakpui scored six points while grabbing a team-best nine rebounds.

NJIT's Damon Lynn will make the all-time lists for both three-pointers attempted and total field goals attempted at the Liacouras Center, but came just short of cracking the list for three-pointers made in the building, finishing at 7-of-15 and scoring a game-high 25 points.

While Temple led for over 13 minutes of total time in the first half, it was a period of runs that saw neither team ever lead by more than six. An early 12-1 run for NJIT gave the Highlanders their largest lead of six, 19-13 at 9:09, and Enechionyia was fed by Alston for two dunks in a 12-0 run that gave the Owls their largest lead, also six points, 25-19 at 6:32.

NJIT tied it up at 25 with 4:29 left in the half, and the teams traded points in the final minutes before Temple took a 31-30 edge at the break.

The Highlanders drained six three-pointers compared to two for Temple in the first half, but the turnover numbers were reversed with the Owls forcing six while committing just a pair.

For the first six minutes of the second half, neither team led by more than two. An 8-0 run for Temple capped by a Moore three-pointer gave the Owls a 45-41 advantage at the midway point, but NJIT responded yet again for another tie, 45-45 at the nine-minute mark.

The game of runs continued with a 10-2 run that gave the Owls a nine-point, 56-47 advantage with less than six minutes to go, but the Highlanders used their long range shooting to get back in the game.

Lynn sank a pair of treys while Chris Jenkins hit a third in an 11-2 NJIT run that tied the game for a sixth time, 58-58 at 3:09. Enechionyia broke the run with a three-pointer at the shot clock buzzer that was followed by two Alston free throws, but within a minute, the Highlanders tied the game again thanks to Lynn's seventh three-pointer and a Rob Ukawuba tip-in.

Alston put Temple back in the lead with a layup and two free throws, and Lynn barely missed making his eighth three-pointer at the other end. Moore made one of two free throws to put the Owls up 68-63 with eight seconds left, and after an NJIT turnover, the Owls ran out the final seconds.

Temple will be back in action at home on Thursday, Dec. 22 to host Yale at 7 p.m. (ESPNU / 1210 AM WPHT).

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