Temple downs Drexel, but center Jamille Reynolds suffers knee injury

Sophomore shooting guard Khalif Battle led all scorers with 25 points and added seven rebounds Sunday as Temple snapped a two-game losing streak by beating Drexel, 73-61, at the Liacouras Center.

The Owls (3-4) were without forward Jahlil White again as he nurses a knee injury. With 8 minutes, 43 seconds left in the game, Temple center Jamille Reynolds collided with Drexel big man Amari Williams on a loose ball and left the game with a right knee injury. The sophomore could not put any weight on the leg and did not return to the floor.

Point guard Hysier Miller scored 20 points and had seven assists for the Owls. He is beginning to hit his stride, commanding the offense and creating shots for his teammates.

“He can pass, but he can definitely score,” Battle said. “He’s one of the leaders on our team, so we look up to whatever he has to say.”

Williams led the Dragons (3-4) with 18 points and six rebounds. He was too much for Temple to handle on the low block as he scored at will with a plethora of hooks and dunks.

Sophomore guard Damian Dunn is working his way out of a slump, but Temple was able to find ways to score. With Miller and Battle jelling on the floor, the Owls found ways to get to the rim and create easier shots. Dunn made three of nine shots and finished with nine points.

For Drexel, Williams and guard Justin Moore, who finished with 14 points, were the only sources of offense. The Dragons allowed Temple to convert 56.3% of its field goals on Sunday.

“No one’s going to play a perfect game,” Drexel coach Zach Spiker said. “We don’t need perfect, we just need fight.”

Temple had a scoring drought of more than two minutes but still held a 35-31 lead at the half. Drexel put together a 6-0 run to take a 43-41 lead, but Temple followed that up with a 7-0 run later in the half as Drexel went scoreless for more than three minutes.

“I think we’ve got to have a full 40 minutes,” Battle said. “We’ve got a lot of scorers on this team… but really, we’re trying to hang our hats on defense.”

The Owls went on one last run late in the second half to seal the game. Aided by three Dragons turnovers, Temple outscored Drexel, 15-0, without Reynolds on the floor.

Up next for Temple is a 6 p.m. Wednesday matchup with La Salle (3-3) at the Palestra as part of a Big 5 doubleheader. For Drexel, it’s a Wednesday home game at 7 p.m. against Lafayette (1-6).