Despite playing at a slower pace, having their staple full court press prove ineffective and losing the battwo tele on the boards, UMass finds themselves within two possessions after 20 minutes. While the Owls were able to dictate the tempo of the game and find easy points inside for much of the half, the Minutemen seemed to gain the momentum in the final minutes behind a more aggressive Chaz Williams.
Temple owns a 36-31 halftime advantage behind eight points from senior guard Khalif Wyatt. Wyatt was benched to start the game due to tardiness in practice this week, but hit 2-of-3 shots and knocked down all four of his free throw attempts.
Freshmen forward Maxie Esho and Williams led the Minutemen with seven points apiece for the Minutemen. Sophomore guard Jesse Morgan added five points in his first five minutes before having to go the bench with two fouls.
The two teams were within two possessions for the entire half, with Temple leading or tied for all but 29 seconds.