PHILADELPHIA (Interstat) — Temple held off a late push from Princeton to secure a 65-61 men’s basketball victory Monday night at Liacouras Center.

The Owls improved to 8-5, while the Tigers fell to 3-11. Princeton led 35-33 at halftime, but Temple used a balanced second-half effort to pull ahead for good. Malik Abdullahi led all scorers with 21 points for Princeton. Temple was paced by Jordan Mason’s 16 points and four assists, with Aiden Tobiason adding 12 points and Babatunde Durodola contributing 11. The game was a defensive struggle, with the combined score falling well below the pregame over/under line. An announced crowd of 2,924 watched the Owls sweep the home-and-home season series after a November win in New Jersey.