SMU Basketball: Mustangs pull away early to top Temple

Dec 27, 2016; Memphis, TN, USA; Southern Methodist Mustangs guard Shake Milton (1) Southern Methodist Mustangs guard Jarrey Foster (10) and Southern Methodist Mustangs guard Sterling Brown (3) during the second half against the Memphis Tigers at FedExForum. Southern Methodist Mustangs defeated the Memphis Tigers 58-54. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports /

SMU powers past the Temple Owls early to score their third AAC victory.

The SMU Mustangs picked up their third conference win of the season Wednesday night, as they defeated the Temple Owls, 79-65, at Moody Coliseum.

SMU had a sluggish start to the first half, beginning the game shooting 2-of-11 as Temple jumped out to a 8-2 lead. The Mustangs, however, settled down and rallied past the Owls, going 12-of-20 for the remainder of the half.

Rebounding played a significant role in SMU’s first half, as they out-rebounded Temple 22-12. Nine of those boards came on the offensive glass and the Mustangs had eight second chance points.

SMU, at one point, got up by 21 points. By halftime, they were ahead 40-18.

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Temple refused to go away quietly, however. They closed the gap early in the second half, getting the SMu lead down to 11 points with more than 16 minutes left after a three by Obi Enechionyia.

SMU pulled ahead again and led by 20 with 12:57 left thanks to a three-pointer by Semi Ojeleye. The Owls fought back and tried to close the gap, but the Mustangs held on to get the win.

Ojeleye led all scorers with 19 points. SMU, as a team, spread their points around. Shake Milton and Ben Moore each had 18, while Jarrey Foster scored 13.

Enechionyia, along with Shizz Alston Jr., scored 16 points for the Owls.

Quinton Rose had a big second half for Temple, helping the Owls get back into the game and finishing with 14 points and a game-high five steals.

It’s the ninth straight victory for the Mustangs, who are now 3-0 (13-3 overall) in conference play. Temple, meanwhile, drops to 9-7 and are now 0-3 in conference play.

Next: Five takeaways from a thrilling Tuesday evening

The Owls continue on without the services of senior guard Josh Brown, who hasn’t played since the Villanova game on Dec. 13. Brown injured his Achilles last May. Since the Villanova game, Temple has gone 2-3.