Temple ends slump by throttling South Florida

Point guard Will Cummings regained his health. His Temple team rediscovered its perimeter game. The collective confidence of the Owls also returned Thursday in a 73-48 rout of South Florida at the Liacouras Center.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak and boosted Temple's record to 13-7 and 4-3 in the American Athletic Conference. It also matched Temple's largest margin of victory this season, equaled in a 77-52 win over Kansas.

The recent losses came against Tulsa, SMU, and Cincinnati, the top three teams in the AAC. South Florida (7-12, 1-5) doesn't fall into that category, so saying this was a must-win for the Owls wouldn't be overstating the case.

Cummings, who suffered a strained muscle in his lower left leg in a 63-56 loss to Tulsa on Jan. 10, was in the starting lineup after being sidelined for Saturday's 83-54 loss at Cincinnati.

He finished with 12 points, three assists, and three steals, and ran the offense adeptly. Afterward, Cummings said he still wasn't 100 percent.

"Tonight was a big confidence booster, knowing I can still go out and do the things I did before the injury," Cummings said.

Cummings is the type of player who doesn't need to score to make a major impact.

"He is our leader, somebody we trust greatly in everything he does, so it was nice to have him out there in seemingly good health," Temple coach Fran Dunphy said.

Senior Jesse Morgan, the transfer from UMass who played his first game for the Owls on Dec. 18, scored his Temple career high of 19 points. Quenton DeCosey added 14 points and six rebounds.

USF held a 14-10 lead before Temple took off, outscoring the Bulls by 29-6 to take a 39-20 halftime lead. It was the Owls' largest lead at intermission this season.

The game never got competitive over the final 20 minutes.

During the losing streak, the Owls shot just 21 for 74 from beyond the arc. In the first half alone, Temple was 8 for 14, with Morgan connecting on 4 of 5.

Morgan is 8 for 13 from three-point range in the last two games. "I am having a better shot selection, taking better shots," he said.

The Owls will not play until Wednesday, when they visit Central Florida, giving Cummings even more time to rest. When Cummings was much less than 100 percent, so were the Owls.

"He makes a big difference," Morgan said. "He is poised, a senior, a veteran and it makes it a lot easier with him."

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