(PHOTO RECEIVED FROM Grace Crosby Photography)
(PHILADELPHIA, PA) After Khalif Battle made a free throw with 13:29 remaining in the first half, Temple extended their lead to 11. The Owls looked excited, as they were playing unselfishly, and the energy in Liacouras was fantastic. Vanderbilt did not panic. The Owls went ten straight possessions without putting the ball in the basket, allowing the Commodores to inch their way back into the game. After a Lee Dort layup, the game was tied 37-37 heading into the locker rooms.
No one was particularly dominating for the Commodores at halftime, as Jordan Wright and Myles Slute were leading Vanderbilt in the box score with six points each. Even with their lack of star power, Vanderbilt had nine players put the ball in the basket.
Temple was the exact opposite; Damian Dunn and Zach Hicks combined for 27 of the Owls’ 37, barely getting any help from the rest of the team.
Jordan Wright hit a layup to put Vanderbilt up by one with 14 minutes remaining, which sparked a 16-4 run. 7’0 Liam Robbins could not be stopped down low, as his soft touch allowed him to score six straight points before Coach McKie called a timeout.
Post-timeout, Temple went on a three-point frenzy. First was Hysier Miller, followed by Damian Dunn, followed by Zach Hicks. The Owls worked their way back with perimeter shooting, and after a Damian Dunn three, Temple cut the Commodore’s lead to just three with just under two minutes remaining.
Another big 3pt for Dame. Cuts the Vandy lead to 3. 1:42 left in the half. @Dam1anKD pic.twitter.com/AnC5Qkg3hX
— Temple Men's Basketball (@TUMBBHoops) November 16, 2022
After a Liam Robbins free throw putting Vanderbilt up by five with one minute remaining, the game looked all but over. Until Hysier Miller hit Damian Dunn, who nailed a deep three from the left wing to cut the win to just two. Dunn then showed his presence on the defensive end, preventing Tyrin Lawrence from hitting the go-ahead turnaround. The ball ended up in Zach Hicks hands, who was the Owls’ second leading scorer with 18.
Hicks missed a short floater, got his own rebound, and was fouled on the put back. Hicks made both free throws, tying the game at 76, which sent this nail-biter into overtime.
After fighting to get to this point, the Owls continued to play catch-up in the last five minutes. Myles Strute hit a tough three to start overtime, and with Liam Robbins presence inside, Vanderbilt never looked back. Up by two with six seconds left, Hysier Miller found Zach Hicks at the three-point line. Liam Robbins timed the shot perfectly and swatted Hick’s three-point attempt as time expired, giving Vanderbilt their first win of the season.
How about Liam’s block to seal the win 💯@liamrobbins_ pic.twitter.com/80fT9SE6lp
— Vanderbilt Men's Basketball (@VandyMBB) November 16, 2022
Looking on the bright side, sophomore power forward Zach Hicks finally got out of his shooting slump. Hicks finished with 20 points on 6-13 from downtown, along with eight rebounds. Coach McKie stressed to the media that he wasn’t worried about the young forward, and Hicks answered in a big way.
.@zhicks1231 hits his 4th three pointer of the game. But Vandy has taken the lead in the 2nd half, they are up 48 – 47 with 15:25 left in the half. pic.twitter.com/GMlVI6mwZV
— Temple Men's Basketball (@TUMBBHoops) November 16, 2022
When not being guarded by Liam Robbins, Jamille Reynolds dominated inside, scoring 15 points along with seven rebounds and a block. Coach McKie keeps stressing how Reynolds needs to improve on defense if he wants to get minutes down the stretch.
When in need of a defender, McKie looked for Kur Jongkuch, senior transfer from Northern Colorado. Standing at 6’9 with over a seven-foot wingspan, he has great length and foot speed for a center. Although being McKie’s best option defensively, Kur needs to get accustomed to the Owls’ system before truly being trusted to defend someone like Liam Robbins.
After having a great performance against Villanova, Khalif Battle did not see the court after the ten-minute mark in the second half. Coach McKie was asked about Battle not seeing the floor, even in a close game. McKie responded short and sweet, “I just played the guys who I felt wanted to be out there.” Battle finished the game playing just 19 minutes, shooting 0-5 from the field and 0-4 from three.
On the flip side, his backcourt mate had the best game of his career. Damian Dunn scored the most points for an Owl since 2004, with 38 points on 13-18 from the field. Dunn also had two fantastic offensive rebounds, leading to second-chance opportunities.
DAME AND-1! Owls Lead 87 – 86! Career high 38 points, most points scored by Temple player since 2004.
𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗜𝗡! #ForPhilly @Dam1anKD 😤⌚️ pic.twitter.com/3X5vFzlLmj
— Temple Men's Basketball (@TUMBBHoops) November 16, 2022
Even with his historic performance, Damian was not pleased with the outcome. He knows the Owls need to be more consistent with their play. Dunn said about the loss, “It hurts a lot. Especially when we’re at home, coming in today after our big win on Friday. But it’s just up to us now on how we respond. We have to do a lot of rerouting, a lot of refocusing on what we take pride in. We got to go back to the drawing board.”
Temple looks to get back to .500 against Rutgers on Friday, 11/18 at 5:00 ET against Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are off to a hot start, winning all of their first three games. Senior guard Cam Spencer leads the Knights with 16.7 points a game.
