The Temple News

12/10/2025

emple Men’s Basketball snapped its three-game losing streak, as it scored a season-high 103 points in its 46-point win against Georgian Court Tuesday night at The Liacouras Center. The Lions remained competitive for the first five minutes of the game before Temple went on a 16-0 run, taking a 23-5 lead. The Owls coasted through the rest of the first half and took a 43-24 lead into halftime.

Georgian Court started to trim its deficit early in the second half as it got back within 12 points, but the Owls stepped on the gas again to pull away for good. They consistently got to the free-throw line for easy points, building the lead beyond 20 points again. Temple put in its reserves near the end of the game and rattled off another 20 points behind center Mohammed Keita and guard Connor Gal. The Owls walked away with a 103-57 win.

“We're tougher together, we’re better when we’re together,” said guard Jordan Mason. “When we play together, I think it's really hard to guard us and so just being able to trust each other and making the right plays has been good for us.”

Temple will stay at home to take on Saint Francis (Pa.) on Dec. 14 at noon.
https://temple-news.com/owls-score-season-high-103-points-against-georgian-court/

12/10/2025

Temple left tackle Giakoby Hills agreed to a multi-year deal for him to return to Temple, 247Sports reported Tuesday night.

Hills started all 12 games for the Owls this season and was a crucial piece of the offensive line. The 6-foot, 5-inch, 290-pound tackle redshirted his freshman year in 2024 and entered this season as the backup to starter Kevin Terry. However, Terry suffered an MCL injury in training camp and Hills remained the starting job even after Terry’s full recovery.

Hills is the first player who is set to return next season. The Owls could also retain guards Jackson Pruitt and Eric King and center Grayson Mains.

“I have to prove to everyone that I belong here,” Hills told The Temple News in an interview on Nov. 11. “I'm gonna stay here and just prove who I am. I'm going to be one of the best tackles in the country. I have a chip on my shoulder and I want to make every single rep count.”

Temple Football left tackle Giakoby Hills is returning to Temple after starting every game last season.

12/07/2025

Temple was outrebounded 17-8 in the second half of its 59-52 loss to Drexel to place fourth in the Big 5 Classic Sunday afternoon. An ankle injury sidelined starting point guard Tristen Taylor, which played a role in the Owls’ offensive struggles. Temple shot just 39.6% from the field and 23.5% from three-point range.

It took little time for the Owls’ offense to click, taking a seven-point lead less than four minutes into the first quarter. Temple went cold, however, missing 10 of its last 11 field goal attempts to take a 11-6 lead entering the second period. Drexel guard Molly Rullo caught fire, scoring 10 points in the frame to shorten the Owls’ advantage to 22-20 at halftime.

Temple shot below 40% from the field through 20 minutes, a struggle that persisted in the third quarter. The Dragons took advantage of the Owls’ offensive woes as Rullo hit two consecutive three-pointers en route to a 34-30 advantage entering the fourth period. Guard Kaylah Turner made a three to regain Temple’s one-point lead, but a four-minute scoreless stretch ultimately led to its demise.

“It was a tough game for us,” said head coach Diane Richardson. “Drexel did a great job defensively against us, had us doing things that we didn't want to do. I thought that we sat back too long and trying to battle back in the fourth quarter, you just can't do those kinds of things, especially against a good team like that.”

Temple will play VCU at The Liacouras Center on Dec. 13 at 2 p.m.

Temple Women’s Basketball was outrebounded 17-8 in the second half of its 59-52 loss to Drexel Sunday afternoon.

12/07/2025

Podcast Editor Ariana Droz sits down with contributors to this year's special edition of The Essayist to discuss their responses to the prompt “Who or what inspires you,” for the final installment of Reprint this Fall.

RePrint is your biweekly rundown of the stories you need to know about from The Temple News. It is available on Wednesdays featuring Ariana Droz and other editors from The Temple News…

12/07/2025

Temple fell to Saint Joseph’s guard Deuce Jones II’s game-winning three-pointer in its 70-69 loss to place fourth in the Big 5 Classic Saturday evening. Guard Derrian Ford scored a career-high 27 points, but it was insufficient as Jones scored the Hawks’ final 10 points for the victory.

Neither team’s offense could establish itself early on, but guard Jaiden Glover-Toscano’s layup kick started St. Joe’s. His score launched a 12-0 run to give the Hawks a 10-point lead that the Owls quickly chipped away at. Guard Gavin Griffiths knocked down three first-half three-pointers to help cut Temple’s deficit to 33-25 entering the locker room.

Ford was crucial in the Owls creating separation in the second half, scoring seven points amidst a 12-0 run for a three-point lead. Each side traded buckets, but Temple positioned itself to win, holding a five-point advantage with one-and-a-half minutes left. That’s when Jones scorched the Owls’ defense for seven consecutive points, which handed Temple its fifth loss.

“We have to learn that you have to play a consistent 40-minute game,” said head coach Adam Fisher. “If we played like that in both halves, it'd be a different outcome. But again, I think this group is resilient. And I was really proud of our second half. We have to learn that this is what you need to do at this level to win, is 40 minutes of consistent basketball.”

Temple faces Georgian Court at The Liacouras Center on Dec. 9 at 7 p.m.

Saint Joseph’s guard Deuce Jones II scored a buzzer-beating three-pointer to beat Temple Men’s Basketball 70-69 in the third place game of the Big 5 Classic Saturday evening.

12/06/2025

Kornberg School of Dentistry plans to create a rural dentistry education center and clinic in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, State Sen. Dave Argall and Rep. Jamie Barton announced at the Pennsylvania Oral Health Summit on Nov. 12 and 13.

These plans follow Kornberg’s July announcement that it would create a new rural dentistry track, which will be piloted at the Tamaqua clinic. The program, which is expected to launch September 2026, will accommodate around 20 students, serve patients on Medicaid and provide affordable service to the surrounding community, WVIA reported.

The proposed plans for the building are pending approval from Temple’s Board of Trustees and include construction on the site of a former Rite Aid building in downtown Tamaqua.

The clinic was planned in association with the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership, a nonprofit organization founded in 1994 to create charitable projects for community and economic development of the Tamaqua area.

A rural dentistry clinic like the one proposed in Tamaqua is a one-of-a-kind project that would be key to providing increased dental care access to rural communities, said Micah Gursky, executive director of TACP.

“What we’re building doesn’t exist right now, which is a place where a cohort or class of dentists can all train in the same clinic with the same faculty and live in the same dormitory type of setting that they would have if they were at an urban dental program.” Gursky said.

The clinic and new track program in Tamaqua will host around 20 students.

12/06/2025

Print Design Editor Jack Larson reflects on how running helped guide his creative process throughout college.

“I learned from a young age that exercise was the solution to every problem. If I had a terrible day, my physical education teacher mom told me to go outside and play. If I was stuck on my homework, then I should just run a mile and get back to it later.

I eventually started to depend on running to channel my day-to-day emotions. Each run became a personal mental health check-in filtering through my frustrations and worries.

My motivation for running changed when I channeled my creative side with my college course load. With an art direction concentration in advertising and a minor in art, college brought an entirely new set of challenges in the wake of multitasking multiple projects at once and channeling enough creative energy and self-confidence to create them. There was a constant need to draw inspiration to satisfy the overload of creative projects I always juggled.

Running helps me find something fresh. While it gives me a mental health reset, fragments of life I notice while running inspire the details I incorporate into my creative work. The orange and yellow leaves in the trees beside the Philadelphia Art Museum inspired the warm tones I incorporated into Jill’s next single cover. The publicly affectionate couple on the Schuylkill River park bench became infatuated illustrated characters in a poster project for my art direction class.

Running inspires me to bring my creative vision to life, whether it is taking the right photo or designing a brand. Keeping my creativity flowing and pursuing my passions authentically requires the grit that I learn from running.”

A student reflects on how physical exercise became the bedrock to his creative process.

12/06/2025

Samantha Tan prides herself on making films that represent and uplift her community. But her directorial debut, “F*ck Feelings,” wasn’t just inspired by the experiences of others: Tan drew directly from her own life.

"Art is to be vulnerable, and vulnerability makes you stronger,” said Tan, a 2020 film and media arts alumna. “I still had a tough time, F*ck Feelings was actually a placeholder title. That’s all I kept thinking on thinking while writing the script.”

Tan premiered “F*ck Feelings” July 21 at LA Shorts International Film Festival. The story, which is semi-biographical of Tan’s life, follows a budding Vietnamese painter’s preparation for her gallery debut as it’s derailed by news of her abusive ex-boyfriend's engagement.

Tan wrote, directed and produced the film, which has circulated film festivals across the country and won the Bronze Award for Best First Time Female Director at the November Independent Shorts Awards on Nov. 22.

Samantha Tan’s “F*ck Feelings” won the Bronze Award for Best First Time Female Director at the November Independent Shorts Awards on November 22.

12/06/2025

Temple signed 33 high school and junior college players as part of its 2026 recruiting class, the program announced Wednesday afternoon on Early National Signing Day.

The Owls replenished their offense, adding three quarterbacks, five offensive linemen, four wide receivers, two running backs and one tight end. Temple boosted its defense, bringing in eight defensive backs, six defensive linemen and three linebackers while adding punter Luke Sword to special teams.
The class represents Keeler’s first high school recruiting class as Temple’s head coach. He was hired just two days before Early National Signing Day last year and signed five players who had initially committed under former head coach Stan Drayton.

One of Keeler’s main goals was to recruit from the footprint of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and New York. Today, he landed 22 players from those states.

“The recruiting staff has a lot of regional ties and so we're able to connect with a lot of people that probably wouldn't have been able to if we weren't structured that way,” Keeler said. “I think we've made a lot of strides very quickly and I think we can even make more strides. For a first year, from day one to day 365, I think it's a pretty darn good class.”

This is the largest recruiting class in Temple history. Twenty-one of the recruits will enroll early and join the team in January.

The former Sam Houston State head coach went 9-3 in his 11th season as the Bearkats’ head coach and will succeed Stan Drayton.

12/06/2025

Temple head coach Diane Richardson wanted her team to play faster offensively in the 2025-26 season by getting out in transition more. She believed she assembled the ideal personnel for that playstyle after retaining nearly every player and using the transfer portal to fill in the gaps.

On the surface, her efforts worked. The Owls are averaging four more points per game than last season and have a higher shooting percentage through eight games. Despite the offensive improvement, a glaring issue has emerged.

Richardson’s team has struggled to find their footing after the opening tip. During the first eight games Temple’s shooting and turnover woes have prevailed in the first quarter, leading to slow starts. While the Owls have overcome the issue for three wins, it was the catalyst for their four losses and could lead to more problems further down the line.

“I think they need to be more patient and execute [the offense,]” Richardson said. “We’ve started games slow because we’re taking quick shots and not executing the offense to get us better shots. And we’ve got to work on that.”

Temple Women’s Basketball has struggled to shoot and take care of the ball in the first quarter this season.

12/06/2025

Shareholders for the Library Company of Philadelphia voted 174 to 33 in favor of merging with Temple on Dec. 2, followed by a unanimous vote of approval from Temple’s Board of Trustees on Dec. 4.

The Library Company, an independent research library founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1731, faces significant budgetary concerns. The proposed merger would provide the historic institution with the necessary financial assistance to remain in service.

The merger now awaits approval from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office and the Philadelphia Orphan’s Court.

“We are delighted to help preserve one of Philadelphia’s most important educational and historical institutions through this partnership. This will help bring stability to the Library Company while also ensuring that its legacy does not just live on but also thrives,” said President John, in an interview with Temple Now. “For Temple, this is also an opportunity to further enrich our academic and research resources.”

The proposed merger moved one step closer as LCP shareholders and Temple’s Board of Trustees voted in favor of the partnership.

12/05/2025

Podcast Editor Ariana Droz shares a reflection on how the Autumn season inspires her through embracing change and letting go.

“Every year I find myself waiting for Autumn: the season of dying. There is something sacred in the natural ability to die. Much beauty lies in the metaphorical and nonphysical deaths that occur at any point in our short time on earth.

I find comfort in the truth that we do not have to be stagnant, that we experience various kinds of transitions that are comparable to death. We have never and will never be immune to any kind of mortality. It’s in the literature we read, the films we watch and the earth we inhabit.

I am inspired endlessly by this season of change and release; the kind that is slow and willful. When the breeze begins to pick up, I enjoy a warm beverage and adorn my wardrobe with more layers and textures. I am called to steep myself in poetry soaked in early evening candlelight. I make room to explore forgotten interests, to discover new habits and hobbies to pursue.

What I love most is that Autumn is honest in its gentle display of quietude. It’s a reminder that I too am decomposable. I can let go of parts of myself and encounter or reintroduce others.

The season of burnt oranges and reds serves as a reminder that we always could let go and start again, no matter how many times we shed our skin. Autumn inspires me to see the world and myself through endless potential.”

A student reflects on how the atmosphere of the Fall season inspires internal reflection.