Temple rolls over UConn, Adams injured

PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Adams left this game early, too. For a far different reason than three days prior.

Adams departed just under six minutes into UConn’s bout with Temple Wednesday night at Liacouras Center after suffering a sprained MCL in his left knee.

With 14:06 left in the opening half, Temple’s J.P. Moorman II landed on Adams’s left knee while diving for a loose ball, twisting the senior guard’s knee in an awkward direction.

Adams lay on the ground for several moments and was eventually helped off the floor by trainer James Doran and walk-on Temi Aiyegbusi. He will have an MRI on the knee on Thursday.

Adams’s departure probably didn’t have a huge effect on UConn’s eventual 81-63 loss to the Owls that wasn’t nearly even that close. Temple hit seven of its first eight shots and led 16-10 when Adams went down. The Owls remained scorching hot, ultimately hitting 10 of their first 11 shots, 13 of their first 16 and 18 of 29 (62 percent) for the first half en route to a 46-20 lead. Temple outscored the Huskies 30-10 after Adams left the game.

But while Adams’s absence may not have mattered much on Wednesday night, it’s hard to imagine UConn (13-10, 4-6 AAC) accomplishing much the rest of the way if their best player and leading scorer is out for an extended period of time.

Yes, the Huskies played better — much better — after Adams was benched by coach Dan Hurley for the final 18 minutes of Sunday’s win over ECU in Hartford. But that was at home against ECU, not at Memphis, home against

No. 12 Houston, at SMU or home against No. 25 Cincinnati, which represents UConn’s next four games.

Yes, point guard Alterique Gilbert, who warmed up in full uniform for the first time since suffering an injury to his surgicallyrepaired left shouldeer on Jan. 26, could be back soon.

But without Adams, the rest of this season is little more than a dress rehearsal for next season.

Temple (17-6, 7-3 AAC) pretty much toyed with the Huskies all night. UConn had a shot-clock violation on its very first possession of the game. Before long, the Owls were throwing up alley-oop passes and throwing down breakaway, windmill dunks. The 26-point halftime deficit was UConn’s largest of the season; their 20 points its lowest total in any half.

Temple’s Justyn Hamilton began the latter half with a bucket and the final 20 minutes felt like garbage time — though UConn continued to play hard and, at times, better. Somehow, the Huskies outrebounded Temple 31-6

Michael Perez / Associated Press UConn’s Tarin Smith (2) drives to the basket against Temple’s Shizz Alston Jr. (10) and Nate Pierre-Louis (15) on Wednesday night in Philadelphia.