Temple Owls' Second-Half Surge Falls Short Against SMU Mustangs at Moody Coliseum
The Temple Owls, with a record of 0-1, faced off against the SMU Mustangs in a conference game that ended with the scoreboard reading 64-77. The match took place at the Moody Coliseum in Dallas, where 5,018 spectators witnessed an intense battle on the court.
The Temple Owls started strong in the first half, putting up 28 points against the Mustangs' 30. However, despite their efforts and a bonus play advantage, they couldn't maintain their momentum into the second half. The Owls finished with a total of 64 points but were outpaced by the Mustangs who tallied an impressive 47 points in just one half to secure their victory.
A key factor for the Temple team was their ability to score from second-chance opportunities which contributed to their overall tally of 21 points. They also dominated inside with a total of 32 points coming from within the paint. Their defensive efforts were notable as well; they managed to block four shots and made eight steals over both halves.
However, shooting accuracy seemed to be an issue for Temple as they only converted on 37 percent of field goal attempts and made seven out of twenty-eight three-point attempts – rounding off to about twenty-five percent success rate from beyond the arc. On a positive note though, when it came down to free throws they showed proficiency by making nine out of twelve attempts which is approximately seventy-five percent successful.
On top of that, rebounding was one area where Temple excelled; they grabbed forty rebounds throughout the game including twelve offensive boards which gave them extra scoring chances. Despite committing eighteen personal fouls and turning over possession thirteen times during playtime – one being a team turnover – they maintained an assists-turnover ratio slightly above one (1.08).
In contrast, SMU showcased higher efficiency in shooting with forty-three percent field goal completion and thirty percent success rate for three-pointers while dominating fast break situations by scoring fifteen fast break points compared to Temple's eight.
As fans look forward toward future matchups for their beloved team after this hard-fought contest against SMU Mustangs at Moody Coliseum; attention now turns toward an upcoming home game scheduled on January twentieth at Liacouras Center located in Philadelphia where fans can catch all action live via ESPN+ network starting at one o'clock post meridiem Eastern Time when Rice Owls come visiting for what promises another exciting college basketball showdown.