Princeton’s chance of evening score with Temple falls just short as Owls clip Tigers

By Andrew Hefner (@Ahef_NJ)

PHILADELPHIA — With a rare chance for in-season revenge, the struggling Princeton Tigers made their way across the Delaware River to North Philadelphia, looking to get back at a strong Temple team that they had faced and lost to just a month before at the ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando.

Princeton, since that matchup, has been winless in eight straight, faltering in close matchups that have come down to the wire in weeks since. Temple, on the other hand, has been at the top of its game, now stepping up to an 8-5 record with a 65-61 win over the Tigers Monday at the Liacouras Center.  

The game’s start went in favor of Princeton, as the Tigers got off to a strong start with a flurry of layups by sophomores Malik Abdullahi and CJ Happy to put Princeton up early. Abdullahi, touted as one of the best young talents currently in the Ivy League, was the real driving force for the Tigers as he went on to complete a career-high 21-point, seven-rebound affair. 

“I thought he would look like one of the better players on the floor, if not one of the best,” head coach Mitch Henderson said of Abdullahi. “He put us on his back and gave us a chance to win the game. I thought he was terrific.”

The forward has stepped into a bigger role this season, adding an average of ten more minutes per game compared to last year, and as a result, has begun to perform at a much higher level than previously seen. 

“He’s got an edge in a lot of matchups,” Henderson added. “He’s a very difficult kid to cover. We have to keep figuring out ways to help him because he’s helping us so much.”

“I think honestly, I just feel like the game came naturally,” Abdullahi said of his career night. “And I think that's one thing I just need to keep going, just letting the game come to me, not really forcing anything, kind of seeing the openings and things like that. I feel like for me, it was a good game to just solidify myself, figure out the spots that I do well in and just keep just emphasizing on that.”

Soon after the first media timeout, Temple looked rejuvenated, eventually jumping out to a 14-8 lead thanks to seven points off the bench by sophomore Babatunde Durodola. The Owls continued rolling until the Tigers went on a 16-6 run to close the half, being sent to the locker rooms on a Jackson Hicke three-pointer that landed just ahead of the buzzer. 

Hicke, a native of Radnor, Pennsylvania, just 30 minutes outside of Philadelphia, began the game 0-for-5 shooting, an uncharacteristic metric for him, before landing two huge first-half threes and finishing the night with 10 points on 4-for-12 shooting. 

With a narrow 35-33 lead exiting the half, Temple started the second stanza on a 10-2 run, and in the midst of the scoring, senior Jordan Mason deposited his 1,000th career point, becoming the 18th Owl to reach that all-time figure. Mason, a transfer this season, previously played at the University of Illinois Chicago and Texas State before making his way to North Philly for his final year. 

Abdullahi stopped the bleeding for the Tigers, though, with two quick layups to tie up the game once again heading down the stretch. 

“Next play mentality,” explained Abdullahi. “I feel like, for this game, we drew up a play, we executed, (a) shot just didn't fall, it was a great look. Next play. Next play, we still have time on the clock. So we’ve just got to push forward, go on to the next play, try to get that win in a different fashion.”

The shot the Tigers could not get to fall came in the final minutes of the game, as a back-and-forth battle saw the Owls in front by just one score with under a minute to play, thanks to a great designed layup play by Henderson, followed through by Happy to keep it a two-point game. Henderson used his final timeout to draw up a play giving a shot to the historically strong-shooting Jack Stanton, which was executed to perfection, but the shot went just off the mark. The miss led to fouls to stop the clock, but the damage had been done, allowing the free throws to fall for Temple and sealing the season series in favor of the Owls. 

“That’s the best we've played, I think, this season,” Henderson remarked. “We’ve had lots of chances, but we made it to a nice place down the stretch. We’re getting better, I know.”

“You are what your record says you are. So, we’re 3-11, but yeah, it would be nice to get a win. We’re pushing towards that. The mistakes aren’t as egregious and we’re still not playing great, but we’re right there.”

With a holiday break now here for the Tigers and only one non-conference game remaining against Vermont a week from Tuesday, there is plenty of time on the clock to reset and regroup ahead of Ivy League play at the start of January. 

Princeton has also been without star junior guard Dalen Davis, for whom Henderson says there is still no timetable for his return. Davis went down with a leg injury in November against Northeastern. 

“It’s going to be great to go back home, spend time with family and rest, of course,” said Abdullahi. “I feel like just practice and constant games, I think it's been taking a toll on our bodies. So I feel like this week coming up would be great for us to rest.”

Princeton ends its non-conference slate just ahead of 2026 at home on December 30 against Vermont, who, like Temple, defeated the Tigers in the ESPN Events Invitational. The following Monday will feature the start of Ivy League play with the University of Pennsylvania making its way to Jadwin Gymnasium on January 5. 

“I like what we are, what we look like,” said Henderson. “Our record doesn’t look great, but I like what we look like going into the (Ivy) league a lot.”