Hugh Mingo scored 24 points to pace the seventh-ranked Texans (4-0) and TC’s starters shot a combined 17-of-66 from the field as the Leopards suffered a 30-point loss, dropping their record to 5-2.
“Sometimes you just play bad, and we looked bad playing bad tonight,” Leopards coach Kirby Johnson said, adding that he couldn’t remember the last time TC lost by such a large margin. “They whipped us from the beginning. They are the defending national champions, so you have to give them their due.”
Overall, Temple shot 27-of-89 from the field (South Plains was 41-for-78) and made only four of 20 3-point shots - three by reserve point guard Adam Guerrero (15 points). Russ Permenter led the Leopards with 17 points, J.B. Conley had 13 and Sean Jones added 10.
TC will return to the South Plains court at 1 p.m. today to battle New Mexico Military.
Said Johnson: “What I told our guys was, ‘It was a bad game and we’re disappointed in how we played, but let’s get it out of our head and win tomorrow.'"
