Temple's Jamal Mashburn Jr. topped 2,000 career points in Temple's win over UMass on Saturday. (Photo: @its_jaymashjr)
By AARON BRACY
November 23, 2024
Jamal Mashburn Jr. led Temple to an impressive win over UMass on Saturday—and got some family bragging rights in the process.
The talented transfer from New Mexico scored 26 points to lead the Owls (4-2) to an 87-80 win over the Minutemen in the Hall of Fame Classic in Uncasville, Connecticut. He went over 2,000 career points with a pair of second-half free throws. Mashburn’s father recorded 1,843 points in his standout, three-year career at Kentucky in the early 1990’s.
“It feels good,” Mashburn Jr. told Big5Hoops.com by phone after the victory. “I honestly didn’t even know I was getting it until my teammates told me. I was so locked in on winning the game and finishing it out. I didn’t even know. It’s a great feeling. I got something over my dad right now.”
Mashburn wasn’t the only strong performance for coach Adam Fisher’s squad, as Temple got good production from just about every player who entered the court. Four other Owls reached double figures in scoring, with Steve Settle III and Quante Berry each scoring 12; Zion Stanford netting 11; and Jameel Brown adding 10. Rookie Babatunde Durodola had 12 rebounds in just 18 minutes.
It was just a really good overall performance from a Temple team that looks like it will be a contender in the American Athletic Conference, especially with Mashburn. He has scored at least 20 points in every game this season, averaging 23.3 points per contest. But he’s also getting lots of help from his teammates.
“I could go on down the list on all of them, even the people who didn’t play,” Mashburn said of his teammates’ contributions. “Everybody is contributing in their own significant, special way. Steve is a leader. He knows the ins and outs of the system. Zion can score on anybody. Any given night we can have everybody contributing. It’s a beauty. I wish everyone would see our practices because our practices are so competitive, and everybody can go get theirs.”
Saturday’s win felt especially good after the Owls dropped a close, 78-69 defeat to Florida State on Friday evening. And there’s still room for improvement, Mashburn said.
“The win was great,” Mashburn said. “The beauty of this team is we have so many things we have to correct. We want to see what we’re about. We’re just going to keep getting better every single day, every single practice, every single game, every single possession. I’m really happy with what we’re doing right now, and we’re going to keep getting better.”
The Owls return home and get some rest before Saturday’s 4 o’clock shown against La Salle at Glaser Arena. The winner will meet Saint Joseph’s in the second edition of the Big 5 Classic Championship Game. Mashburn, a Florida native, already is enjoying the Big 5 and is looking forward to Saturday night.
“It means a lot,” he said. “I know it means a lot to the city of Philadelphia. It’s new to me, but I feel it. I’m just as motivated as if I were here for four years. This week of practice will be good for us, and then we’ll go over there and it will be a great, great game. I’m excited.”
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Aaron Bracy has been covering Philadelphia sports since 1996. His byline regularly appears on Associated Press stories. Follow Bracy on X: @Aaron_Bracy and like his Facebook and Instagram pages. His book on the 2003-04 Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball team is expected to be published on March 1, 2025. Read a summary and preorder it by clicking HERE. Contact him at aaron@big5hoops.com.