Men's Basketball Falls 93-86 at #19/18 Wichita State Despite Huge First Half

Thursday, February 15

Wichita, Kan.

6:00 p.m. CST / 7:00 p.m. EST

Temple University

15-11 (7-7AAC)

Wichita State

20-5 (10-3AAC)

Temple

Wichita State

Men's Basketball Falls 93-86 at #19/18 Wichita State Despite Huge First Half

2.15.18 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Fran Dunphy Press Conference

WICHITA, Kan. - Despite a season-high 16 three-pointers and a massive first-half effort that saw Temple men's basketball score 56 points, the Owls fell victim to a late run by #19/18 Wichita State in a 93-86 loss. The Shockers (20-5, 10-3) closed out with a 14-5 run and scored the final five points of the game at the free throw line to pull away from Temple (15-11, 7-7).

Keys to the Game
> Temple came out strong and finished with a huge first half, leading by as many as 15 and finishing with a season-high 56 first-point points. That total is also the most ever allowed in a half by a Wichita State opponent during the Gregg Marshall coaching era (11th year).
> The opening minutes of the second half saw a reversal of fortune to the first, with Wichita State turning an 11-0 run into a 17-3 run, tying the game which then remained close the rest of the way.
> Foul trouble ultimately cost the Owls, with both senior Obi Enechionyia (17 points) and freshman De'Vondre Perry (15 points) fouling out in the final minutes.
> Wichita State hit 23-of-29 free throws, while the Owls went 12-of-14 from the line.
> Temple hit 11 three-pointers in just the first half, and finished with 16, the Owls' most since hitting 16 at Delaware in 2014-15.

Individual Highlights
> After scoring 11 of the Owls' first 13 points, Enechionyia finished with a team-high 17.
> Sophomore Quinton Rose scored 16, and junior Shizz Alston, Jr. posted 15 points, hitting 4-of-6 three-pointers.
> Perry's 15 points were a career high, and he hit an impressive 5-of-7 from long range.
> Rounding out five Owls scoring in double digits was senior Josh Brown with 13 points, and Brown led all players with six assists.

First Half
> Enechionyia set the tone for the Owls' huge first half, scoring their first eight points and 11 of their first 13, including 3-of-3 from long range.
> With just a 10-7 lead at the 15-minute mark, the Owls exploded for an 11-0 run over a minute and a half, with three players hitting three-pointers (Enechionoyia, Alston, Perry).
> The Owls went on to lead by as many as 15 points, 27-12 at 11:54 after a three-point play by freshman J.P. Moorman.
> Over a two-minute stretch, Wichita State picked up the pace for its own 11-0 run, and cut the margin to three points twice, the second at 31-28 just past the seven-minute mark.
> To close the half, Temple made 9-of-9 field goals and 6-of-6 free throws, building its lead back to double digits and taking a 14-point, 56-42 lead into the break.
> For the Owls, their 56 points tied the most in any half this season (56 vs. Auburn, 2nd half), and are the most in a first half since at least 2012.

Second Half
> Temple's momentum ground to a half as the second period started, while the Shockers started with an 11-0 run that turned into a 17-3 run, tying the game at the 13:24 mark, 59-59.
> Perry hit his third and fourth treys to keep Wichita State from pulling away, but the Shockers got their first lead of the game at 11:31, 66-64.
> WSU led by four before Enechionyia hit his fourth three-pointer, and back-to-back buckets by Rose later put Temple back on top at 8:27.
> Two more ties followed, the last at 81-81 (3:38) before a nearly two-minute scoring drought for both teams.
> Enechionyia's fifth foul came on what turned into a three-point play for Wichita State's Shaquille Morris, and the Shockers hit two more free throws after Perry's fifth foul at 1:17.
> The Owls managed just three free throws in the remaining time, while Wichita State hit a jumper and five free throws to pull away.

Next Up
> Temple hosts Houston at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 18 (CBSSN / 1210 AM WPHT), also celebrating Hooter the Owl's birthday at the Liacouras Center.