Josh Brown's absence glaring in young Temple team's loss to No. 25 SMU
It was the type of game that Temple basketball coach Fran Dunphy wished he had his senior leader Josh Brown. Temple had just lost 66-50 to No. 25 Southern Methodist University in a late-night American Athletic Conference game at the Liacouras Center and Dunphy and his team seemed spent.
It was the type of game that Temple basketball coach Fran Dunphy wished he had his senior leader Josh Brown. Temple had just lost 66-50 to No. 25 Southern Methodist University in a late-night American Athletic Conference game at the Liacouras Center and Dunphy and his team seemed spent.
Then again, being chased around for 40 minutes by the best defensive team in the AAC will make a team and a coach a little weary.
SMU, which lowered its AAC-leading scoring defense total to 58.3 ppg., held the Owls to 18 first-half points. For the game the Mustangs forced 16 turnovers and limited Temple to 30.9 percent shooting from the field.
Brown is the type of stabilizing force who might have helped settle the Owls down against the rugged SMU press. Suggesting he would have been the difference is a stretch, but a game like this shows how much his savvy was missed. This was the type of game where the a player like Brown, who had the ability to slow things down in a frantic setting, clearly would have helped.
On May 25, Brown had surgery for a torn Achilles tendon. He missed Temple's first six games, then played in five. Yet he hasn't returned since playing 25 minutes in a 78-57 loss at Villanova on Dec. 13 due to Achilles tendon soreness.
After the SMU loss, Dunphy said more than he has since the Villanova game about Brown's status. When asked if Brown has a shot to return, Dunphy replied, "I don't think so."
Again, this isn't surprising because Brown hasn't been able to fully practice. Plus if he returns at any point this season, he would be ineligible to apply for a medical hardship.
Dunphy says Brown is able to do some half-court work in practice, but nothing full throttle.
"It is a pretty severe injury that he suffered and he tried it and he really doesn't feel like it is even near where he would like it to be," Dunphy said.
And then Dunphy talked about why he missed his senior point guard so much.
"There are times you die because he is not in the game because of his leadership and the calming effect that the has on the team," said Dunphy, whose team fell to 13-12, 4-8 in the AAC.
Against a 21-4, 11-1 SMU team that has won seven in a row and 17 of 18, Temple had to be at its best and the Owls weren't close to that.
Besides not handling the defensive pressure, Temple couldn't stop SMU's 6-7 redshirt junior Semi Ojeleye, who scored a career-high 30 points and added 10 rebounds in 38 sensational minutes.
After Temple 6-10 junior Obi Enechionyia hit a corner three to cut the lead to 55-48 with 5 minutes and 55 seconds left, Ojeleye hit a jumper that began a 7-0 run that put the game away.
"Semi carried us on the offensive end tonight, which he is very capable of doing," SMU coach Tim Jankovich said.
With such little margin for error, the Owls' top three season scorers, Shizz Alston, Enechionhyia and Daniel Dingle, shot a combined 10 for 36 from the field.
All three will need to rebound quickly because Temple has another major challenge on Sunday when the Owls visit Memphis (18-7, 8-4).
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