The Temple Owls look to get back on track when they host the South Florida Bulls in an American Athletic Conference battle. The Owls have won two straight while the Bulls are 0-2 in AAC play.
Tyler Harris leads the Bulls in scoring with 15.6 points per game. Russel Tchewa is their leading rebounder with 7.4 boards per game.
Khalif Battle
Khalif Battle is a 6-5 shooting guard from Roselle, NJ. He played college basketball for the Temple Owls and was a preseason All-AAC selection. He started 11 games this season and has been one of the most efficient players in the AAC.
He has also been an effective bench player. He has played over 30 minutes in all but two of Temple’s 28 games this season, averaging 13.5 points per game. He also leads the team in rebounding and assists.
On February 21, 2021, Battle scored 32 points and dished out five assists in a 76-83 loss to South Florida. He was the third leading scorer for Temple, behind Damian Dunn and Jahlil White.
The Owls are now 7-2 in the AAC, while the Bulls are 9-12. They will have to win all three of their remaining conference games to earn an automatic bid to the AAC tournament.
Sophomore guard Khalif Battle led the Owls (13-9, 7-2) with 25 points. He went 9 of 18 from the field and was 5 of 5 from the free throw line. He had a game-high seven points in overtime.
This is the second straight game where Temple has held USF’s leading scorer to just four points. It was a major defensive improvement over the team’s 82-71 loss to Houston Sunday.
After a slow start, the Owls found their rhythm in the second half and used that to outscore the Bulls. They were up 61-52 at the half and led by as many as 10 with 2:27 left in regulation.
Damian Dunn
Dunn was one of the stars of Temple’s 79-76 overtime win over South Florida Wednesday at Liacouras Center. He led all scorers with 25 points, including seven of the team’s nine overtime points, as the Owls improved to 13-8, 6-2 in American Athletic Conference play.
He also contributed three rebounds and four assists in 29 minutes, helping his team extend its winning streak to six games. He’s averaging 17.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in his last 10 games.
Redshirt-sophomore guard Damian Dunn is an intriguing player to watch this season. Aaron McKie’s first-ever Temple commit has two years of eligibility left, and he could be the key to success in the coming season.
During his career, Dunn has played 71 games, averaging 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He’s also been a valuable mentor for younger players like sophomore Zach Hicks, sophomore Nick Jourdain and grad transfer center Kur Jongkuch.
Impact Despite not putting up big numbers during his freshman campaign, Dunn made an immediate impact on the team. He was a member of the starting lineup most nights, and the Owls’ young players rely on his expertise to help them out in crucial moments.
In Saturday’s 74-48 win over Tulsa, he led his team in scoring with 15 points. He was also a key contributor to the 21-2 run that helped push the Owls ahead early in the second half.
After the game, McKie was impressed with Dunn’s leadership. He credited the redshirt-sophomore for leading his team to the win after a tough start.
Keyshawn Bryant
Keyshawn Bryant played a key role off the bench in South Florida’s loss to Temple on Wednesday. The senior forward has not started a game since the first three of the season, but he’s been very efficient from the floor and in Wednesday’s loss to Temple, he scored 10 points (5-7 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 0-1 FT) with two rebounds in 19 minutes.
He’s also been a solid defensive player, as he’s averaging 3.5 blocks per game, which is good for an average of 2.55 in just 20.8 minutes. He’s averaging 8.6 points and 5.1 rebounds on the season, and is averaging 1.0 steals in 18.5 minutes per game.
On the other hand, he’s had some trouble scoring from deep this season. The senior shooter is just 36.5 percent from deep this season, so he’ll have to get more comfortable and be more clinical if he wants to be an effective scorer in the coming months.
During the Bulls’ 80-77 overtime win over Tulsa on Thursday, Bryant led the team with 21 points and ten rebounds. He also scored eight of the Bulls’ first 10 points in the second half and held a double-digit lead for most of the second period.
The Owls took a 73-69 lead with a little over five minutes left in the second period, but USF rallied to take the lead again when Russel Tchewa drilled a long three-pointer to tie the game at 70-70 with 1:42 remaining. The Bulls had two late chances to win it in regulation, but they missed a pair of wild three-point attempts and committed a shot clock violation.
Selton Miguel
Temple Men’s Basketball (13-9, 7-2 American Athletic Conference) defeated South Florida (9-12, 2-6 The American) 79-76 on Wednesday night. The win matched the Owls’ best start to conference play since the 2014-15 season.
Khalif Battle scored 25 points and Damian Dunn added 15 points and seven rebounds as Temple beat the Bulls. Nick Jourdain also finished with 11 points for the Owls.
Battle shot 9 for 18 from the field and was 4 for 5 from the free throw line. He made the first three-pointer of the game for the Owls, who led by four points at halftime.
The Bulls opened the second half with a 10-2 run to tie the game at 69-70. But a three-pointer by Tyler Harris trimmed Temple’s lead to 70-69 with just under seven minutes remaining. Then, a pair of free throws by Russel Tchewa put the Bulls back on top with just under three minutes to go in regulation.
In overtime, USF’s Keyshawn Bryant missed a three-pointer as time expired. That allowed Temple to ice the win.
Senior guard Serrel Smith Jr. scored 21 points, but he was outscored 13-1 in the extra session. He was 0 for 3 from the field and 1 of 2 at the free throw line.
The Bulls lost for the third straight game to open their American Athletic Conference season and have now dropped seven of their last 10. Sophomore guard Tyler Harris scored a team-high 17 points, but he was 1 for 11 from the field and missed a corner three that could have tied the game with just under a minute to go.