Category: Temple

Temple assistant men’s basketball coach Bill Courtney died suddenly at the age of 55, the school announced Tuesday morning.

“I am shocked and heartbroken by the tragic news and passing of my close friend Bill Courtney,” Temple coach Adam Fisher said in a statement. “Bill made such a big impact on our program in such a short time. He was one of the most respected coaches in the country — thoughtful, prepared, and deeply committed to the game and to winning the right way. Bill made every program he touched better, and his loss is felt profoundly by everyone who knew him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Bill’s family during this extremely difficult time.”

Mr. Courtney was in his first season with the Owls. He joined Fisher’s staff after spending six seasons in assistant and associate head coaching roles at Miami. He stepped in as Miami’s interim head coach for 19 games last season after Jim Larrañaga retired. Mr. Courtney was the head coach at Cornell from 2010 to 2016, and before that, he spent time as an assistant at Virginia Tech, Virginia, Providence, George Mason, Bowling Green, and American.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Temple men’s basketball assistant coach Bill Courtney,” said Tim Pernetti, commissioner of the American Conference. “In over 30 years as a basketball coach, Courtney had a profound impact on his colleagues and student-athletes.

“He helped lead Miami to the Final Four and programs to nine postseason tournaments, but his [effect] on the lives of the student-athletes and coaches who worked with him will be his ultimate legacy.”

A native of Alexandria, Va., Mr. Courtney played at Bucknell University, where he was inducted into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007 and remains among the program’s all-time leaders in points and assists. He graduated from Bucknell in 1992 with a degree in education.

Temple (11-5, 3-0 American) traveled to Memphis Tuesday afternoon as scheduled, according to a source, and will play Wednesday night’s game vs. the Tigers.

“In the short time that he has been part of the Temple family, I saw the impact that he had on our program with the joy that exuded from him on and off the court,” Temple athletic director Arthur Johnson said in a statement. “He will be missed by his immediate family, his Temple basketball family, and the greater basketball community.”

Mr. Courtney is survived by his wife, Gina, and two sons, Billy and Derek.

The school said information regarding memorial services will be announced later.

Temple sought to regain momentum with a two-game road trip after an ugly 50-47 loss to Texas-San Antonio in its American Conference women’s basketball opener on Jan. 3. It was successful at first.

The Owls cruised by Wichita State, 70-50, on Jan. 6 for their first conference victory. However, against a potential contender in Tulsa on Friday, Temple faltered in a 94-82 loss, allowing the most points in a conference game since the 2018-19 season.

Temple (7-8) is 1-2 in the American, but both losses have come to unbeaten teams in conference play. The Owls offense seems to be trending in the right direction, but questions remain about their depth.

Next, the Owls will host Tulane (6-10, 1-3) on Tuesday (7 p.m., ESPN+).

Offense gets on track

Offensive inconsistency defined Temple’s nonconference slate. The Owls struggled to knock down open shots and had turnover problems. They started games slowly, forcing quick shots and not letting the offense come to them.

The struggles reached a pinnacle against UTSA, when Temple shot just 20.5% through three quarters and scored just 47 points.

But the offense improved on the road trip. The Owls scored 70 and 82 points against Wichita State and Tulsa, respectively, and shot better than 40% from the field in both matchups. Temple used a strong offensive second half against Wichita State to turn a nine-point halftime lead into a comfortable 20-point win.

Against Tulsa, the Owls sank 10 threes and put up 80 points for the first time in four games. Guard Kaylah Turner scored 31 points and made five triples, but the efforts on offense were spoiled by poor defense.

Defensive setbacks

Against Wichita State, Temple forced 25 turnovers and held the Shockers to just 50 points. That defense took a big step backward against Tulsa, the top-scoring offense in the conference.

The Golden Hurricane led by as many as 21 points in the first half, thanks to their 60% shooting clip from the field and an even better 81.8% from beyond the arc. Tulsa scored 53 first-half points.

The defense improved slightly for the Owls in the second half as they trimmed their deficit to six points in the fourth quarter. But Temple could not come up with enough stops as Tulsa made eight of its final nine shots to pull away.

Despite the Owls’ 19 forced turnovers, they allowed the hosts to shoot 58.9% from the field and 76.5% from three. Tulsa guard Mady Cartwright scored a career-high 31 points on 5-for-5 shooting from three.

Help from the bench?

Last season, Temple had strong bench production from Turner, who was named the conference’s Sixth Player of the Year, and forward Anissa Rivera. Turner moved to the starting lineup and Rivera graduated, leaving coach Diane Richardson needing a new spark off the bench.

That need is still apparent. In the Owls’ loss to Tulsa, their reserves scored just one point.

Guard Drew Alexander seemed to be that spark early in the season, but she has moved into the starting lineup, initially replacing Tristen Taylor and now in place of Savannah Curry, who is out with an undisclosed injury.

Alexander poured in 27 points against Tulsa. Now Temple needs someone to step up in reserve. No bench player is averaging more than four points.

With Curry expected to be out for the foreseeable future, Temple is going to need better production out of players like Kelian Cedano or Brianna Mead.

Temple looked like it would easily secure its seventh straight victory by beating East Carolina, a team that sits at the bottom of the American Conference, on Wednesday at the Liacouras Center.

The Owls (11-5, 3-0 American) carried a 15-point lead into halftime. Then ECU started to crawl back. The Pirates (5-10, 0-2) got within five points in second half, but it was too little too late.

A 29-point surge from ECU guard Jordan Riley wasn’t enough as Temple shook off its horrid offensive slump and finished with a 75-67 victory, marking its longest winning streak since the 2014-15 season.

“We told our guys at halftime, ‘Hey, they’re going to ramp it up. They’re going to go on a run. We’ve got to be ready,’” coach Adam Fisher said. “I know we got a little stagnant and didn’t score as much as we would have liked in parts of that second half. But winning is hard. … So again, I’m really proud of our guys and I thought it took everybody to prepare the right way and then to get this win here tonight.”

Next, Temple will face a true test in the American when the Owls visit defending conference champion Memphis (7-7, 2-0) on Wednesday (8 p.m., ESPN+).

First-half defense

Temple’s mentality all season has been simply to play defense. The Owls had one of the worst defenses in the country last season, and they’ve shown signs of improvement this year, allowing 70.4 points per game, the fourth-lowest average in the American.

On Wednesday, the Pirates had little room to breathe as Temple searched for momentum on offense.

The result was 12 turnovers, with eight coming in the first half. ECU had multiple scoreless stretches, including a five-minute drought, which helped Temple push the lead to seven points.

The biggest win was Temple’s success on the glass. After ECU center Giovanni Emejuru picked up his second foul, Temple managed to get through.

Guards Gavin Griffiths, who finished with a season-high 24 points, and Masiah Gilyard were key contributors for the Owls, as they finished with six and five rebounds, respectively.

Griffiths also was Temple’s best defender. He swatted away four shots and had two steals.

Hot-and-cold offense

Toward the end of the half, Griffiths ended his 12-minute scoreless stretch with a three-pointer. Owls guard Derrian Ford, who missed the last game with an injury, started finding his rhythm. He finished with 18 points, with 10 coming at the free-throw line.

But the offensive slump returned after halftime.

The Pirates clamped down after the break, limiting any chance for the Owls to stay comfortable.

Guard Aiden Tobiason, who is second on the team in scoring, was a nonfactor. His first and only field goal came late in the game, as he finished with four points.

Temple finished the second half going 8-for-22 and had six turnovers, forcing the defense to save the game. Then came a big three-pointer from Griffiths to make it 65-56 with 3 minutes, 21 seconds left.

“I just felt like I was open, so I was going to shoot it,” Griffiths said. “My teammates did a great job finding me. I think I only took one dribble for my three. So most of them are catch-and-shoot.”

Containing Riley

Temple’s game plan was to stop Riley. The former Temple guard entered his homecoming as the conference’s leading scorer with 20.8 points per game, powering an offense that averages 67.3.

In the first half, Riley was stuffed. But in the second half, the seal was lifted, and Temple had no way to stop him.

“Jordan Riley is a fantastic player,” Fisher said. “I thought Jordan made some tough shots. He gets downhill. We know how good he can be, but in the second half they were really good, and we’ve got to be better. Our second-half defense wasn’t where we needed to be.”

Riley’s 23 second-half points kept the Pirates in the game as they finished the half with 46 points. But ultimately Temple’s lead was too big to overcome.

Temple announced Monday that it will play Toledo in a nonconference football game on Sept. 19.

The road game will complete the Owls’ nonconference slate and 12-game schedule in coach K.C. Keeler’s second season. The Owls also will host the Rockets on Sept. 18, 2032.

The two teams have not squared off since the Rockets defeated the Owls, 32-17, in the Boca Raton Bowl on Dec. 22, 2015. Toledo limited quarterback PJ Walker to 236 passing yards and an interception. Current Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt scored two touchdowns for Toledo.

Temple was supposed to play Coastal Carolina in a road game, but the Chanticleers announced adjustments to their schedule on Aug. 29.

The Toledo matchup will be the Owls’ only nonconference road game next season, taking place at the Glass Bowl in Toledo, Ohio. Temple will host Rhode Island on Sept. 5, Penn State on Sept. 12, and Connecticut, led by former Toledo coach Jason Candle, on Oct. 10.

Toledo hired former Mercer coach Mike Jacobs in December after Candle took the UConn job. Temple will play six teams that will be under new leadership in 2026.

Temple will be playing nine schools in 2026 that appeared in bowl games, including every road game. Keeler won three road games in 2025, becoming the first Owls coach to do so since 2021.

Throughout Temple’s six-game winning streak, there has been an evident theme — inconstancy.

The Owls have been plagued by cold stretches in which they rely on their defense to keep them going. Saturday against UTSA was more of the same.

However, it didn’t matter as Gavin Griffiths’ 23-point performance and a 15-point, 12-assist double-double from Jordan Mason lifted Temple to a 76-57 victory and gave the program its longest winning streak under coach Adam Fisher.

“We’re really proud of this game today,” Fisher said. “We talk about this all the time. ‘Tougher together; 15 beats five.’ That’s been our mantra since we got together in June. … I have great respect for the [UTSA] program, and I thought we prepared yesterday the right way, and I thought that was key.

The Owls (10-5, 2-0 American) next host East Carolina (5-9, 0-1) on Wednesday (7 p.m., ESPN+).

Balance scoring attack

Near the end of Temple’s 76-73 win over Charlotte on Tuesday, guard Derrian Ford collided with 49ers center Anton Bonke. The senior was sidelined for the remaining three minutes and was inactive for Saturday’s contest, leaving the Owls without their scoring and rebounding leader as Masiah Gilyard slotted into the starting lineup.

Ford’s absence was apparent early, as Temple went 6 of 20 from the field over the first eight-plus minutes before making adjustments.

“Like Coach says, ‘15 beats five,’” Mason said. “So knowing he’s not going to play, and he’s a big piece. We just needed a little bit more from everybody. I feel like everybody just contributed a little bit more in their role.”

Little by little, Temple began to push the game out of reach as it entered halftime up, 39-30.

Six players scored in the first half, led by Mason’s 10 points, as the guard extended his double-digit scoring streak to six games.

Gilyard also provided a boost in Ford’s absence, finishing with nine points and eight rebounds.

“We knew other guys had to step up,” Fisher said. “I thought [Gilyard] set the tone. I think we grabbed three or four offensive guns in the first possession. We missed five wide-open shots. But the tone was set.”

Points left on the board

Temple lacked in three-point shooting on Saturday, which was a rarity for an offense that is second in the American in three-point percentage.

The Owls shot just 9-of-27 from deep, so they had to put an emphasis on getting buckets down low.

However, the lack of offense put Temple in a similar position it had been in for most of this season: relying on the defense. UTSA (4-10, 0-2) got within eight points with 14 minutes, 2 seconds left, , but the Owls regrouped and held them to 32.7% shooting on the day.

Griffiths’ second half

With UTSA trying to cut into Temple’s lead, the Owls needed someone to step up.

After his 10-point first half, Mason had just five second-half points. However, he had 12 assists, the most since guard Mardy Collins in 2006. Aiden Tobiason also was inconsistent and finished with 13 points on 4-for-13 shooting.

Ford typically would be the go-to hand. Instead, it was Griffiths.

Griffiths scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half, anchoring Temple’s offense. His performance was just two points shy of his career high, which he set as a freshman at Rutgers. He also finished with a season-high seven blocks and two steals.

“I feel like I got a lot of really good looks today,” Griffiths said. “I was put in a position to make a lot of threes.”

Inquirer staff writer Colin Schofield contributed to this article.