Liacouras Center. Philadelphia, PA
GAME NOTES - PREGAME
Wichita State:
- Shockers come into tonight #16 on the Bracketology Big Board and a projected 4-seed
- Wichita State is undefeated in the U.S. Only loss came in Cancun vs. West Virginia
- Wichita State wants to own the glass. They struggled by allowing too many offensive boards against Memphis and UConn.
- Continue to run the offense thru Jaime Echenique. It has been effective.
- Four players average double-digit scoring. Erik Stevenson leads at 14.1 PPG.
- Shockers want to capitalize on open looks from deep, Temple struggles to defend the perimeter.
- Freshman Tyson Etienne leads the AAC with 37 made treys.
Temple:
- Temple has defeated at least one Top-25 opponent in each of the past 12 seasons. Has not happened yet this year.
- Lost to Wichita in the AAC Quarterfinals last year. And that sent the Owls to Dayton for the First Four.
- Owls came out cold in their last game vs. Tulane. Shot just 29% in the 1st Half.
- Defense is key for Temple. They are 33rd nationally in FG Pct. Defense (Opponents shoot .385)
- Allowing made three’s is a major issue. Owls rank 344th out of 353 nationally in 3pt. FG%.
- Nate and Josh Pierre-Louis are the first siblings on the same team in Temple Basketball history.
GAME ACTION
Nate Pierre-Louis, Temple’s go-to guy, gets the scoring started with a triple. After each team traded baskets for a few minutes, It was the Shockers who scored six straight points, punctuated with a Jamarious Burton trey.
1st Media Timeout: Wichita State 12, Temple 7.
Dexter Dennis has a different confidence about him on the court, and just as I type that he connects on a three. That was followed by a steal and layup by Grant Sherfield. Temple wants a quick timeout, trailing by 8. Another breakaway layup opportunity is denied due to a massive swat by De’Vonte Perry and the crowd loves it. Arashma Parks hits a nice baby hook along the baseline. Owls stop the bleeding for now.
2nd Media Timeout: Wichita State 17, Temple 11.
We said before the game that the Shocker offense runs thru Echenique, and that is proving to be true. The Owls are struggling to keep him off the offensive glass too. Echenique and Erik Stevenson both have 8 points and Wichita looks like the superior team early. Temple fought back with a layup by Perry.
3rd Media Timeout: Wichita State 21, Temple 16.
Davion Moore keeps the Owls’ momentum rolling with a layup. After a defensive stop, Temple is out in transition quickly, and Quinton Rose has a jam. Crowd is back into it, Owls cut the lead to two. Shockers weather the storm again there, Burton with a jumper to quiet the Temple fans.
4th Media Timeout: Wichita State 28, Temple 24.
Bench players Trey Wade and Morris Udeze get into the act for the Shockers, each contributing buckets. Getting close to half here and the Shockers have the ball up by 6, chance to really create some distance at the end of the half. A missed jumper and a desperation deep three by Temple mean we are going to the break with a six-point game.
Halftime: Wichita State 32, Temple 26.
2nd Half
Jake Forrester drew a foul to start the second half. Forrester made one of two. After a stop, the Owls got the ball in the hands of JP Moorman who hit a jumper. Later, Forrester pinned a Shockers shot on the glass and outletted to Nate Pierre-Louis who broke away for an emphatic dunk. Owls only down by one now. Flagrant 1 was called on Erik Stevenson after a hard foul on Quinton Rose. Stevenson now on the bench with three fouls. Owls are on a big 11-0 run now after a Nate Pierre-Louis jumper rattles in. Sherfield finally answers before the break with a bucket.
1st Media Timeout: Temple 37, Wichita State 34.
Rose comes out and connects on another jumper. Echenique responds with a layup. After an Udeze free throw, Alani Moore II hits from deep and the Owls are up by five.
2nd Media Timeout: Temple 42, Wichita State 37.
Both teams are in a bit of a rut during this sequence. Multiple miscues and missed shots. Temple probably prefers this more to put themselves in position to pull off the upset. After a pair of made free throws by Perry, the Owls now own a 6-point advantage. Owls have now committed their 10th team foul and Shockers are already in the double-bonus with 9:26 still remaining. Udeze makes both foul shots. Temple joins the double-bonus party, a lot of whistles this half. Owls have extended the lead to seven. This AAC officiating crew has called 22 fouls already in the second half. Both squads are in the double-bonus. And the pace has slowed to a crawl. Advantage? Temple.
3rd Media Timeout: Temple 48, Wichita State 43.
Echenique hits a beautiful hook shot to get the Shockers within three. Scott responds with a big-time three for the Owls. Timeout is called. Out of the timeout, a well-designed look down low to Forrester pays off with an open dunk for Temple. They lead by eight. A transition layup by Forrester extends the lead to ten. Echenique responds with a dunk.
4th Media Timeout: Temple 55, Wichita State 47.
Temple back up by 10 now, after two Quinton Rose free throws. Echenique again replies with a dunk on the other end. Burton is fouled and makes both for Wichita State. Quinton Rose makes a driving layup, crowd is sensing the upset here and it is getting loud. Another foul against the Shockers. Both Rose and Scott have hit a combined three free throws here. Will be interesting to hear comments from each coach soon on how these game plans made a difference and perhaps some travel fatigue setting in for the Shockers.
FINAL: Temple 65, Wichita State 53.
POSTGAME
Coach Gregg Marshall
- "Guys couldn't hit shots"
- Stevenson didn't feel well about mid way thru the 1st Half.
- Gave credit to Temple for a defensive gameplan that caught his offense off guard.
- Talked about the five game law. Each season you will theoretically play five games poorly than usually do, and five you will exceed your typical level of play. He added, “this was one of those five were we played poorly.”
- Thought both teams had low energy in the first half. Gave the Owls credit for bringing it in the second half and was surprised his team never really responded.
Coach Aaron McKie
- Monty Scott was big down the stretch.
- Wants to get Scott more involved going forward.
- Jake Forrester and frosh being brought along slowly to provide them with the best chance to succeed.
- Feels the Owls can play with anyone, can't beat themselves in order for that to be possible. Was proud of their effort tonight.