PHILADELPHIA – Seniors Khalif Wyatt and Scootie Randall each scored 18 points to lift Temple to an 80-75 victory over the Delaware Sunday at the Liacouras Center. With the win the Owls are now 3-0 to start season for the first time since 2000-2001.
Temple, which has owned Delaware in the series between former East Coast Conference members, picked up its 18th consecutive win over the Blue Hens and now own a 38-6 advantage alltime. This contest, like last season’s 66-63 TU win, was not easy.
The Owls took the lead for good 12-9 on a three by Randall with 14:21 remaining to play in the galf, but kept withing striking distance the entire contest.
Playing without two starters, the Blue Hens stayed in the game courtesy of the inside-outside combination of Devon Saddler and Jamelle Hagins. Saddler, a junior guard, scored 25 points, for above his team-leading 21.6 average, while Hagins, a senior forward, had a career-high 29 points on 11-17 shooting, while pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds.
The Owls countered with a balanced attack. Besides Wyatt and Randall, graduate forward Jake O’Brien had a season-high 13 points off the bench whiole senior forward Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson added 10 points. Temple dished 18 assists with Wyatt leading the charge with a game-high seven.
Temple also made 12 steals with graduate guard T.J. DiLeo and Hollis-Jefferson recording four each, both hitting career highs in the category.
Leading by just 72-69 with 2:24 to play following a Hagins basket, the Owls would hold on at the foul line, making eight of 11 from the charity stripe to pull out the win.
Delaware had a chance to make it a one-point play following two Randall misses at the line with 243seconds left. Down 77-73, Terrell Rogers missed from long range with 10 seconds remaining. Lee pulled down the carom and made one of two from the line to put TU up by five. Following a Saddler jumper with one second, the Owls tacked on two Randall free throws to account for the final score.
Temple will now turn its attention to Wednesday’s 7:00 p.m. contest at Buffalo (1210 WPHT AM).
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