Halftime Report
Only one more half stands between Temple and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have jumped out to a quick 36-35 lead against Rhode Island.
Temple entered the match having won three straight and they’re just one half away from another. Will they make it four, or will Rhode Island step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.
Who’s Playing
Rhode Island Rams @ Temple Owls
Current Records: Rhode Island 10-1, Temple 7-4
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, December 21, 2024 at 6:30 p.m. ET
- Where: MassMutual Center — Springfield, Massachusetts
- TV: CBS Sports Network
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Watch on Connected TV: CBS Sports App on Roku and Fire TV
- Live Stream: CBSSports.com or fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
What to Know
The Rhode Island Rams will take on the Temple Owls in a holiday battle at 6:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at at MassMutual Center. The Rams are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 85.7 points per game this season.
Rhode Island took a loss when they played away from home last Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Sunday. They walked away with a 77-69 victory over CCSU. The Rams’ season wasn’t pretty last year but it’s starting to look like struggles are in the rearview.
Jamarques Lawrence was the offensive standout of the game as he posted 16 points plus six assists. He had some trouble finding his footing against Brown last Tuesday, so this was a step in the right direction. The team also got some help courtesy of David Fuchs, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 12 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Temple entered their tilt with Davidson on Wednesday with two consecutive wins but they’ll enter their next game with three. They skirted by the Wildcats 62-61 on a last-minute layup from Elijah Gray with 4 seconds left in the second quarter. The Owls’ season wasn’t pretty last year but it’s starting to look like struggles are in the rearview.
Temple got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Jamal Mashburn Jr. out in front who earned 19 points plus two steals. Mashburn Jr.’s performance made up for a slower match against Hofstra on Sunday. Another player making a difference was Quante Berry, who went 5 for 6 en route to 11 points plus two steals.
Rhode Island pushed their record up to 10-1 with the victory, which was their eighth straight at home. As for Temple, their win bumped their record up to 7-4.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the two teams are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Rhode Island hasn’t had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 85.7 points per game. However, it’s not like Temple struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 77.3. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Rhode Island is hoping to beat the odds on Saturday, as the experts think they’re headed for a loss.
Odds
Temple is a slight 2.5-point favorite against Rhode Island, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 2.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 150.5 points.
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