
Quenton DeCosey would start out on fire for the Owls, scoring 17 of their first 28 points on 6 of 6 shooting, including 4 for 4 from beyond the arc. The fast start by the sophomore guard from Union, NJ, would give Temple an early lead, but Rutgers would soon catch up, as the teams went to the locker room knotted at 30.
The Scarlet Knights would be more efficient in the first half, shooting 41.4 percent from the field, but unable to stop DeCosey, they found themselves tied at the break. Wally Judge led the way for Rutgers in the half, scoring 8 points, while Myles Mack and Craig Brown added 6 points apiece.
DeCosey would hit his fifth 3-pointer of the game less than a minute into the second half to set a new career-high for points in a game at 20. There would be no slowing the guard down early in the second half, as he continued to drain shots, scoring 25 of Temple’s 42 points in the game, to pull the Owls within one with 14:43 remaining.
Another Temple player would soon step up to help keep the Owls in the contest. After going 0-8 to start the game, Dalton Pepper scored 19 points in a row for Temple to put them up 61-59 with 4:40 remaining.
Rutgers would respond, regaining the lead at 67-66 with just 41 seconds remaining. The Scarlet Knights would hold the Owls scoreless over the final seconds, as they edged out Temple by a final score of 71-66.
The Owls were led in the loss by DeCosey, who topped his career-high of 19, which was set and matched in the Owls’ past two contests, as he finished with 25 points on 9 of 14 shooting, 6 for 7 from beyond the arc. Pepper would come on strong, scoring all 19 of his points in the second act, but it would not be enough in the end for the Owls.
Kadeem Jack led the way for the Scarlet Knights, scoring 18 points, while Wally Judge and J.J. Moore finished with 12 apiece.
With the loss, the Owls dip below the .500 mark for the season at 5-6. Temple will return to action on Saturday, as they visit UCF.
By: Kyle Babcock
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