Hicks Scores 35 Points as Temple Men’s Team Wins in Second Game of Doubleheader
December 22, 2021 –
Temple hosted a men’s and women’s basketball double-bill at the Liacouras Center. A Holiday treat for Owls fans. The men’s team won against Delaware State while the women’s team fell to Old Dominion University in the opener. The day belonged to freshman guard Zach Hicks who set school records for the Owls. So, let’s pay attention to the detail.
Men’s Basketball – Temple Owls 85 Delaware State Hornets 48
Once Hicks started to fire, he hardly missed. The guard from Camden set a program record for made three-pointers, and equaled the most points for a first year player scored in a single game with 35 points. That was set by assistant coach Mark Macon. Hicks made 10 of 16 from beyond the arc eclipsing the previous record of 9 set by Johnny Miller and Rick Brunson in 1995. He sank 6 of the three’s in the second half. Team play allowed Hicks to get it going.
“Today, we moved the ball very well,” Hicks said. “Coming out early I missed my first two shots. My teammates kept encouraging me saying ‘next play’ ‘ next play’ and I started hitting threes.”
“The ball was perched in my hand so when it comes off the wrist, I just knew.”
The final stat line showed Hicks making 12 of 18 from the floor, had 7 rebounds, and no turnovers.
“Not only is it hard to score 35 points in a college game, to do it as a freshman, that’s impressive,” said Temple Coach Aaron McKie about the performance of Hicks. “I have no doubt that he is going to be an outstanding college player. For him to be able to do this, that’s incredible.”
The Hornets played the Owls tough in the first half. Temple used a 9 – 2 run prior to halftime to take a 35 – 25 lead at intermission. The Cherry and White expanded the lead into the second half. A Hicks barrage keyed a 21 – 7 run to give Temple a 67 – 41 lead with 8:21 remaining.
Damian Dunn added 18 points, and Jeremiah Williams assisted 9 times. Carter Myles led Delaware State with 19 points and 9 rebounds.
The Owls improve to 7 – 5 and start a winning streak.
Women’s Basketball – Old Dominion University Monarchs 71 Temple Owls 68
The Owls turned the ball over too many times (25), and the Monarchs rebounded the ball more off the offensive glass (26). The result was ODU had 68 shots while Temple put up 52. The Monarchs hung on for a 71 – 68 win at the Liacouras Center.
ODU posted a 44 – 33 edge in caroms and led 26 – 11 in offensive rebounds. They went after the ball.
“They were being aggressive,” said Temple forward Mia Davis. “Everyone was crashing the boards. We weren’t being aggressive enough pushing back.”
The third quarter was the key as ODU outscored Temple 24 – 14 to lead 50 – 42 going into the final 10 minutes. The Monarchs grabbed 12 offensive caroms in those ten minutes. The Owls won the last quarter and tied the game at 62 with just under a minute and a half remaining in the fourth quarter on a layup by Alexa Williamson. Iggy Allen answered for ODY with an offensive board and a layup. Ajah Wayne made a free throw to open the lead to 65 – 62. The Owls had a chance on an inbounds play with 43 seconds to go, but Wayne came up with a steal on the inbounds pass to thwart a Temple chance. The Monarchs put the game away making 6 of 10 free throws.
The Owls sank half of their shots compared to 35%. But that could not overcome the rebounds and turnovers.
“We knew coming into the game that we would have to take care of the ball, they’re super aggressive on the defensive side and really aggressive on the boards,” Temple Coach Tonya Cardoza said. “If you give up 26 offensive rebounds and turn the ball over as much as we did, it’s hard to win a basketball game.”
Allen scored a team-high 22 points and took down 12 rebounds, 8 offensive rebounds. Allen was perfect on her 9 free throw attempts. Wayne contributed 13 points and 11 rebounds, 6 off the offensive glass.
Davis had a game-best 25 points making 9 of 15 from the floor and 7 of 9 from the line. Aniya Gourdine scored 14 points and led the Owls with 8 rebounds and 5 assists.
Temple falls to 5 – 6 and host La Salle in a Big Five game at McGonigle Hall after the holidays.
Prior to the game Davis was honored for scoring 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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