Battle scores 18 as Temple defeats East Carolina 59-57

GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Khalif Battle scored 18 points off of the bench to lead Temple over East Carolina 59-57 to open American Athletic Conference action on Wednesday night.

Battle also contributed five rebounds for the Owls (7-7). Jahlil White scored 10 points and added seven rebounds. Nick Jourdain shot 3 of 4 from the field and 3 for 3 from the line to finish with nine points.

The Pirates (9-5) were led by Brandon Johnson, who finished with 11 points, 18 rebounds and four assists. East Carolina also got 11 points and six steals from Jaden Walker. In addition, Ezra Ausar had 10 points.

White scored six points in the first half and Temple went into halftime trailing 23-22. Battle's 16-point second half helped Temple close out the two-point victory.

NEXT UP

Temple plays Sunday against Cincinnati at home, and East Carolina visits Wichita State on Saturday.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.