PHILADELPHIA - After falling behind early, the University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team cut the Temple lead to just two points with over a minute remaining before eventually losing 70-62 Saturday afternoon at the Liacouras Center. Senior Matt Howard led the way with 19 points for the Quakers.

Penn drops to 2-4 with the loss, its third straight, while Temple improves to 6-2. 

*Howard's 19 points were the second-most for the veteran this year; he scored 21 in a road win at Central Connecticut earlier this season. 

*Freshman AJ Brodeur recorded 17 points, his third straight contest in double figures. Like Howard, it was his second-best performance this season after notching 23 in the season opener at Robert Morris. 
 

*Free throws were key for Penn in its attempt to claw from behind. The Quakers went 15-of-17 from the charity stripe, a season-high 88.2 percent, as five players were perfect from the line.

*Nine different players scored for the Red and Blue, tied for the highest total this year. 

*Penn matched a season-low in turnovers with only 10. However, Temple coughed it up just seven times against the Quakers.

*Penn was edged in the rebound battle, 40-39. Brodeur led the way with seven, followed by Howard with six. 

*Jake Silpe tied a season-high with four assists on the afternoon, none bigger than his pass to Brodeur to cut the game to two points in the waning minutes. 

*Howard knocked down four three-pointers, a season high and one shy of his career best.

It was a slow start for both teams Saturday afternoon, as neither squad found the basket until more than two and a half minutes had elapsed. Temple scored first on a layup from Daniel Dingle, and the Owls surged from there, scoring 11 straight to open things up. Brodeur finally scored for the Red and Blue, scoring at the 14:29 mark in the first half. Temple was deadly early on from behind the arc, at one point scoring five of six consecutive shots from deep. A three-pointer from Caleb Wood helped ease the Penn offense, followed by a smooth hook shot from Max Rothschild and a long ball from Howard. Sam Jones then notched a three of his own, drawing Penn within six points with just over seven minutes to play in the first half. 

Temple responded with a 6-0 run of its own, pushing the lead back out to 12 after the final media timeout, but the Quakers refused to back down, led by the rookie Brodeur whose jumper through contact with over a minute to play pulled the Red and Blue back down just nine. Howard then collected a strong rebound on the defensive end, getting fouled in the process, and hit two free throws before a late Temple layup gave the Owls a 31-22 halftime lead.

It was back to three-point baskets to start the second period, as the Owls hit two long balls to open things up. Howard was able to respond with one of his own, and added a layup to stem the Temple surge. After the home team used a jumper to extend the lead to 41-27 -- the Owls' largest advantage of the second half -- Silpe notched his second three-pointer of the year to draw the Quakers closer. Penn would cut the game into single digits on three free throws from Jones after the junior was fouled on a deep ball. 

The contest lingered around the 8-10 point range for several minutes before a flurry of Penn points pulled the score to 50-46 with 9:04 remaining in the game. Brodeur connected on a putback attempt, followed by a floater by MacDonald and a three from Howard. Again, Temple extended the lead out to 58-50 with a 4-0 run, but Penn would claw back.

Down 64-57 with just over two minutes left, Tyler Hamilton connected on two free throws for the Red and Blue before Howard drove the lane for a layup, making the lead just four for the home team. After a Temple three-point miss, Silpe connected with a cutting Brodeur in the paint and the freshman finger-rolled a shot, making the score 64-62 with just over a minute remaining in the game. The Owls called a timeout, and out of that they found Quinton Rose for a layup for some breathing room. Penn then missed the front end of a 1-and-1, all but ensuring the decision for the Owls. The home team sealed the deal with free throws and a final steal and dunk.

Penn returns to The Palestra on Wednesday, hosting Lafayette at 8 p.m. in the second half of a doubleheader with the Penn women (who tip off with La Salle at 5:30).