
Houston went up big in the first half and had an answer for every run that Temple made, as the Cougars snapped a five-game losing streak with the 88-74 win. The loss is the 16th of the season for Temple, their most since losing 18 in Fran Dunphy's first season as coach in 2006-07.
The Cougars would continue to dominate, stretching their lead to as much as 21 points at 40-19 with 3:24 left in the half. Temple would turn things on over the closing minutes of the half however, going on a 10-0 run to end the half and head to the locker room down 40-29.
The Owls would struggle to shoot in the half, especially early, as they made just 39.4 percent of their shots from the field. Will Cummings led the Owls with 8 points, and Dalton Pepper and Devontae Watson would add 6 apiece.
Houston would stake themselves a big lead early, but allowed the Owls to chip away at their lead in the waning minutes of the half. Jherrod Stiggers and Danuel House each scored 9 for the Cougars, and TaShawn Thomas added 8, as Houston shot 51.6 percent in the half.
Houston would again stretch their lead to 21, as they took a 59-38 lead on a Brandon Morris three-pointer with 13:47 remaining in the game. The Owls would respond however, utilizing a 21-5 run to cut the Cougars' lead to just 64-59, but each time Temple began to threaten, Houston answered.
Withstanding multiple attempts by the Owls to get back in the game, Houston maintained their poise, as they won by a final score of 88-74.
Dalton Pepper scored 17 in the loss to lead five Owls in double figures. Anthony Lee and Quenton DeCosey scored 14 apiece, and Will Cummings 12, while Devontae Watson finished with a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Houston was led in the win by TaShawn Thomas, who scored 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the field. Three other Cougars would finish in double figures, as Jherrod Stiggers scored 20, Danuel House 16 and Brandon Morris 15 in the win.
The Owls will return to action on Thursday when they welcome #14 Louisville to the Liacouras Center.
By: Kyle Babcock
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