The Temple Owls Look To Keep Rolling On The Road
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Temple Owls had plenty of fun at home this weekend after the snow stopped falling. The Owls are hoping to have more fun on the road this week.
After a 24-hour snow delay, Temple upset eighth-ranked SMU on Sunday. The victory put the Owls at 11-7 on the season and 5-2 in American Athletic Conference play. It was the third win for Temple in the conference against a Top 25 squad, but Fran Dunphy's team has to take care of business against the teams in the bottom half of the conference. Temple will play the first of two straight road games against East Carolina on Wednesday night. The Pirates are 9-11 and sit in ninth place in the conference, but Dunphy isn't worried about his team taking East Carolina lightly.
"I hope that's what we talk about every single day," said Dunphy. "In the locker room after the game on Sunday, it was enjoy this for a couple of hours then let's set out sites on East Carolina at the end of the evening. Let's be ready to go because that's our next challenge."
The Owls have won five of their last six games, but the one loss in that stretch may have turned the season around. Temple let a late lead in Memphis slip away, and Senior Guard Quenton DeCosey said the players knew they had to buckle down with their season in danger of slipping away.
"We really just turned it around," DeCosey said. "We told ourselves that it's winning time. It's conference play, and we can't afford anymore slip ups. We just came with the mentality we've just got to play hard, play together, and play smart."
There have been several players who have made an impact during the Owls' recent turnaround. DeCosey is averaging 15.8 points per game. Devin Coleman has settled into his new role as sixth man nicely and went 8-for-8 against SMU. Josh Brown, Jaylen Bond, and several freshmen have all put together meaningful minutes over the past few weeks.
"We are playing a lot of guys," said Dunphy. "It's helped us. We played nine guys in double-figure minutes the other day. That would be a great way for us to go on through the rest of the season. If we can get that many contributions throughout the lineup, that's great for us."
The Owls will need to keep their focus over the next two games. After East Carolina, Temple will play at South Florida and will be going against a team sitting at the bottom of the conference. First up for Temple will be their contest with the Pirates Wednesday night, and East Carolina's first conference victory on Sunday coupled with Temple's first game against the Pirates this season had grabbed the attention of Dunphy and his players.
"They beat Memphis at Memphis without one of their better players," Dunphy said. "I think they're ready to go. I think they're really tough to play down there. We were in trouble in that first half against them. We've got to put two halves together for sure at East Carolina."