#3 Men’s Basketball Continues Road Swing at Temple

PHILADELPHIA – Winners of 12 of its last 13 games, the #3 University of Houston Men's Basketball program continues a challenging stretch on the road when it meets American Athletic Conference rival Temple at 6 p.m. (EST) Sunday inside the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia.

The Cougars look to split the regular-season series against the Owls after Temple took a 56-55 win inside the Fertitta Center in Houston on Jan. 22. That loss snapped a six-game winning streak against the Owls.

Sunday's game features the Top-Two teams in the American Athletic Conference in 2022-23. Houston leads the league with a 9-1 mark while the Owls are a game back at 8-2.

Sunday's game comes in the middle of a tough stretch in the schedule for the Cougars, who are playing three of four games on the road. After Thursday's road win at Wichita State and Sunday's game at Temple, the Cougars host Tulsa on Wednesday inside the Fertitta Center before traveling to SMU on Jan. 16.

The Cougars enter this weekend's game following a tough 70-61 win at Wichita State on Thursday. Trailing by as many as seven points in the second half, the Cougars close the game on a 19-7 run to move to 21-2 overall and 9-1 in American play.

This season, senior guard Marcus Sasser leads the Cougars and ranks eighth in The American with 16.2 points per game. Although he became the 50^th member of Houston's career 1,000-Point Club and is closing in on the school record for 3-pointers, the Dallas native is far more than a scorer.

Sasser leads Houston and ranks sixth in the league with 1.8 steals per contest and joins junior point guard Jamal Shead among The American's Top-Five leaders in assist-turnover ratio with a 2.11 mark.

For his impressive play all season, Sasser has been named to the Wooden Award Late Season Watch List, the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Midseason Watch List and the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List.

AMONG the BEST
Through Feb. 2 games, Houston…
• leads the nation in scoring margin (+20.0)
• ranks second in field-goal percentage defense (35.3) and winning percentage (.913)
• stands third in scoring defense (55.2 ppg) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (26.3, 3rd)
• ranks among the country's Top 10 in turnovers (9.7, 6th) and turnover margin (+4.9, 9th)
• and is among the Top 25 in assist-turnover ratio (1.49, 14th), rebounding margin (+7.2, 15th), offensive rebounding (13.0, 18th), blocked shots (5.0, 23rd) and rebounding (39.2, 24th)

TUNE IN
• Fans can watch Sunday's game on ESPN2 with John Schriffen (play-by-play) and Mark Adams (analyst) calling the action.
• Fans can hear Sundays' game on 950 AM KPRC or the Varsity Network app with Jeremy Branham (play-by-play) calling the action. The pregame show begins at 4:45 p.m. (CST), Sunday.
• Fans can follow live stats by visiting StatBroadcast.com and following the appropriate links or by clicking here.

BUY 2022-23 TICKETS
Fans may purchase single-game tickets for the Cougars' regular-season home games inside the Fertitta Center. Supplies are limited, and fans are encouraged to purchase soon before they run out.

To purchase single-game tickets, fans may call the Athletics Ticket Office at 713-GO-COOGS (462-6647) during regular business hours or click here any time.

For the third straight season, the Cougars sold out of their season tickets for home games inside the Fertitta Center.

Fans who were unable to purchase season tickets in 2022-23 are invited to join the team's 2023-24 Wait List as the Cougars prepare to enter the Big 12 Conference. To join the 2023-24 season tickets Wait List, fans can click here.

ABOUT TEMPLE
• Temple brings a 14-9 overall record and 8-2 mark in American Athletic Conference action in 2022-23 into Sunday's game.
• The Owls stand in second in the latest league standings through Feb. 3, one game behind Houston.
• Temple owns a 6-2 record in home games inside Liacouras Center this season.
• The Owls have won their last four games and five of the last six with a pair of overtime victories in their last two contests. Only a 61-59 loss to Memphis on Jan. 15 prevents a longer winning streak.
• In their most recent action, Temple outscored UCF by seven in overtime to take a 77-70 win in Orlando on Jan. 28.
• Against UCF, sophomore guard Khalif Battle came off the bench to pour in a game-high 26 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field and 9-of-9 shooting from the free throw line and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds with three assists and two steals. Sophomore guard Hysier Miller totaled 13 points with three rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals. Sophomore guard Jahlil White added five points with six rebounds and a game-high four assists in the win.
• This season, Battle leads Temple with 17.7 points per game. Sophomore guard Damian Dunn stands second with 14.9 points per game. Sophomore forward Jamille Reynolds ranks third among the Owls with 10.8 points per contest but leads the team with 5.9 rebounds per game. Miller tops the Owls with 3.4 assists per game.
• Head Coach Aaron McKie is in his fourth season at Temple and as a collegiate head coach.
• McKie has built a 50-49 record during his career.
• McKie has posted a 1-5 record against Houston during his career.
• Hunter has posted a 1-5 record against Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson during their careers.
• 1994 graduate of Temple.

SERIES HISTORY vs. TEMPLE
• Houston owns a 12-4 against Temple in the series, which began during the 2013-14 season.
• Sunday's game is the second of two regular-season meetings in 2022-23. Temple took a 56-55 win inside the Fertitta Center in Houston on Jan. 22
• Houston has won six of the last seven meetings against the Owls. However, Temple can boast of the most recent success after its 56-55 win inside the Fertitta Center on Jan. 22. That win was Temple's first against the Cougars since a 73-69 win in Philadelphia on Jan. 9, 2019.
• This is the 10th straight season in which the two schools will compete as American Athletic Conference rivals.
• Teams played at least once every year from 1949-50 through 1960-61 with all but the 1949-50 campaign as Missouri Valley Conference rivals.
• Series started with an 88-74 Houston win inside Hofheinz Pavilion in Houston on Feb. 9, 2014.
on Road: Houston owns a 6-2 lead in the series against Temple in games played in Philadelphia
• The Cougars have won the last three games and five of the last six in Philadelphia. Only a 73-69 loss inside the Liacouras Center on Jan. 9, 2019, prevents a longer Houston winning streak.
• In the most recent road meeting, the Cougars claimed a 66-61 win inside the Liacouras Center on Jan. 2, 2022.

UP NEXT
• Following Sunday's game, the Cougars face Tulsa at 7 p.m., Wednesday, inside the Fertitta Center in a game played on ESPN+.
•The Cougars took an 89-50 win over the Golden Hurricane in Tulsa, Okla., on Dec. 28, to open the American Athletic Conference season.
• Following a break in their schedule, Houston returns to action to meet SMU at 6 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 6, inside Moody Coliseum in Dallas. That game will air on ESPN2.
• The Cougars claimed an 87-53 win inside the Fertitta Center in Houston on Jan. 5.
• Houston meets Memphis for the first time in 2022-23 when it tips off at 2 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 19, inside the Fertitta Center in Houston. That game will air on ESPN.
• All Houston Men's Basketball games can be heard on 950 AM KPRC.

SUPPORT HOUSTON RISE
Join Houston Rise, a $150 million fundraising campaign for Houston Athletics dedicated to championship success in the Big 12 Conference.

Every Houston Rise contribution prepares our Cougars to compete and win when we start Big 12 competition in July 2023. Click here to rise and be counted.

JOIN the 50-50-CLUB
Fans are invited to join the 50-50 Club to support Houston Men's Basketball. 50-50 Club members help fund program necessities and enhance the experience for our student-athletes.

Fans who join the 50-50 Club will receive embroidered Jordan Brand team apparel, invitations to exclusive events, regular updates about the program and much more.

For more information or to sign up, fans may visit uhcougars.com/5050club or click here. To join the 50-50 Club, fans may call Cougar Pride at 713-743-GoUH (4687).

STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarMBK or by visiting the team's Instagram page at UHCougarMBK.

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