Temple throttles Maryland-Eastern Shore 72-49 in season opener

It took about 27 minutes of game time for Temple to find its footing in its 72-49 victory over Maryland-Eastern Shore in the Owls’ season opener Wednesday night at the Liacouras Center.

Temple had trouble scoring despite generating quality looks at the basket. They also couldn’t rebound as well as they may have liked, allowing seven offensive boards.

The Owls led the Hawks by just 26-25 at halftime despite having jumped out to a 24-12 lead with four minutes to go. Their opponent, which opened with a loss to St. Joseph’s, was playing its second game in 20 months (after opting out of last season due to the pandemic).

The second-half version of the Owls seemed much more comfortable, having shaken its first-game jitters and early struggles.

Temple’s scoring was led by Khalif Battle (22 points) and Damian Dunn (18). Nick Jourdain’s nine rebounds led the Owls, who outrebounded UMES 42-32 and outshot them 49.1% to 28.3%.

UMES found ways to get open shots – most notably 31 from three-point land, hitting eight – but never strung enough together to keep things competitive.

An evenly distributed scoring attack for the Hawks was led by Da’Shawn Phillip (11 points). The junior guard is one of just two returnees from their 2019 roster.

Temple’s next test will be Saturday night’s home game against Southern California.

It was evident early on that Wednesday night was Temple’s first game of the season and UMES was on the tail end of a back-to-back.

Much of Temple’s offense during its season opener was predicated on creating opportunities from drive-and-kicks, which coach Aaron McKie has preached in an effort to pick up the pace at that end of the floor.

Picking up where they left off last season, Dunn found success utilizing his quick first step to rise into midrange jump shots. Battle got the hot hand in the second frame thanks to some torrid shooting, and finished 9-for-14, including 3-for-7 on three-pointers.

While returning a large portion of their roster, the Owls trotted out three players making their Temple debuts.

Sage Tolbert saw eight minutes of action last season, checking in for the first time in Temple’s American Athletic Conference first-round matchup with South Florida. A small sample size to judge an incoming transfer.

The junior forward started for the Owls on opening night. His contribution came on the glass with four rebounds and on the defensive end with two blocks. Tolbert’s size (6-foot-8) proved to be a force in the interior.

Freshman Jahlil White, who missed last season after undergoing surgery on a torn left meniscus, has been lauded as a defensive specialist who can guard multiple positions. He finished with four rebounds and one assist.

His real introduction came with a seven-point advantage nearing the halfway mark. Hawks forward Kohen Thompson grabbed a short rebound but was met by White. The 6-foot-7 forward clawed the ball in mid-air, displaying his forceful athleticism.

The play was ruled a foul but nonetheless, hinted at White’s defensive prowess.

True freshman Zach Hicks (9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals) was the fourth player off the bench and took some time to acclimate to his first collegiate game.

Hicks was planted in the right corner beyond the three-point line. His first touch came on a rocket pass from Williams that skipped off his hands and into the first row.

After getting more acclimated to the speed of the college level, Hicks buried his first two three-point attempts. Both came off swing passes from the right side of the floor within two minutes of each other. He finished 3-for-7 overall, 3-for-6 on threes.