AUSTIN, Texas – Junior guard Khalif Wyatt led all scorers with a season-high 24 points on eight-of-14 shooting, but it wasn’t enough to help Temple pick up a victory in the opening game of its road trip to the Lone Star State as the Owls fell to the University of Texas, 77-65, at the Frank E. Erwin, Jr. Special Events Center on Saturday afternoon. With the loss, the Owls’ record adjusts to 6-3 on the year, while Texas wins its seventh straight to improve to 9-2.
Senior Ramone Moore scored 13 points, enough to notch his 1,000th point since putting on the Cherry and White, making him the 47th member in Temple history to reach the milestone. Senior Juan Fernandez entered the game on the brink of the same milestone and now sits just three points shy of becoming the 48th member, as he finished with five points against the Longhorns.
Temple was in control for almost the entire first half as it broke for a 14-5 run to result in an eight-point lead. From there, the Owls continued to battle, which allowed them to carry a three-point cushion into the break at 34-31.
When the teams returned to the floor, Texas controlled the boards while taking advantage of Temple’s second half shooting struggles.
The Longhorns outrebounded Temple 28-8 in the half while shooting nearly 56 percent for the half compliments of 27 combined second half points from guards Myck Kabongo and J’Covan Brown.
The first six and a half minutes of the second half were played in a back-and-forth fashion with five lead changes and three ties. The Longhorns did not stay on top for good until they claimed a 48-47 lead with 13:31 remaining, where they began a 21-10 run, helping them jump out to a 12-point lead which they maintained up to the final horn.
Before fouling out with 51 seconds remaining, redshirt freshman Aaron Brown gave the Owls valuable minutes once again, having nine points off the bench in the second half.
Wyatt’s 24-point performance marks the 15th straight game that he’s reached double figures, which is currently the longest streak of any scorer in the Atlantic 10 dating back to last season.
Redshirt junior T.J. DiLeo was a force on the defensive side for the Owls, as he finished the game with a game-high and a career-high three steals.
Temple will have its shortest break in between games since the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, as it will now set its sights on Monday’s matchup with the Rice Owls when the team travels to Houston for a 9:00 ET tip-off, which can be seen on The Comcast Network.
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