(PHOTO COURTESY OF PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER)
(PHILADELPHIA, PA) After an atrocious call against Nick Jourdain allowing East Carolina to tie the game at 75, the ball was placed in Damian Dunn’s hands at the top of the key with seven seconds left. Being face guarded by Tremont Robinson-White, Jahlil White sets a screen trying to get a switch onto the bigger defender, which Robinson-White skips right past.
With three seconds left, Dunn takes a dribble to his right, side steps to the right wing, and nails a contested three right as the buzzer goes off.
LET'S GO! @Dam1anKD https://t.co/JkIOtiRLv7
— Temple Men's Basketball (@TUMBBHoops) January 8, 2022
Damian finished the game with a career-high 33 points on 10-16 from the field, including converting ten of 12 at the charity stripe.
“I told the coaches let me get the ball… Just knowing that they were trying to deny me the ball and not let me catch it in the backcourt so, once Jahlil got it over the half I just had to chase it down. I told him to throw it to me, and I got the look that I wanted and it fell.”
Lots of times throughout this game Temple got very sloppy offensively, yet Damian would slow down the offense, get into the post against a smaller guard and work his magic. Hopefully the coaching staff continues to find Dunn in the low post, as Temple has bigger guards with high IQ that can get to the foul line at ease.
Not only did Dunn have a career day, as forward Nick Jourdain had 16 points and five rebounds on 6-8 shooting. Jourdain also primarily played the center role, as he played fantastic defense, accumulating two steals. Since being inputted into the starting lineup, Nick is solidifying himself as the big for the future while also making a huge impact right now.
A career high 16 points for Nick Jourdain yesterday. He has been making an impact since being inserted into the starting lineup😤
𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗜𝗡! @Swiish_Alert pic.twitter.com/aUKKxJWoCw
— Temple Men's Basketball (@TUMBBHoops) January 9, 2022
Monte Ross talked about Nick Jourdains career night and overall impact on the team by saying, “He is getting better and better. These guys are growing up right before our eyes, which is really a pleasure to see. Nick is somebody we want to be aggressive, we’ve been challenging him to be aggressive and I think the last couple games he has been really aggressive for us.”
After the last win against UCF, Coach Ross continually praised Jeremiah Williams for being the leader of this young core. His ability to run the offense, call the plays and bring energy is crucial and widely appreciated in the locker room. For the first time this season, Williams primarily played off the ball, as Coach Ross allowed both Hysier Miller and Jahlil White to bring the ball up which brought a different feel to the offense. Although Williams play-style doesn’t allow him to just be a spot up shooter, he still had a great all around game, ending the game with ten points, six assists, three rebounds along with a team-high three blocks. Even with all the guard injuries, Williams should continue to be the primary ball handler as that is where he is most comfortable.
Jahlil White continued his hot streak offensively putting up nine points, six rebounds and three assists on 50% from the field. White looked very aggressive offensively, while also taking on more of a playmaking role next to Williams.
Even with shooting 2-10 from the field, Zach Hicks showed his ability to be more than a spot up shooter by having three steals and one block on the defensive side of the ball. As for East Carolina, their starters heavily struggled shooting but the bench made up for it, outscoring Temple’s second unit 33-10. The Pirates box score was led by Alanzo Frank with 15 points and Tremont Robinson-White.
With this win, Temple extends their win conference record to 2-2, sitting at 5th in the American Athletic Conference. Even battling injuries and health and safety protocols, Temple looks to get their third win in a row Wednesday, January 12th against the 6-7 Tulsa Golden Hurricane.
Temple goes into this matchup as the underdogs once again, as ESPN gives Temple a 25% chance to come out with the victory.
