Coming off his best game of the season against Memphis, SMU big man Markus Kennedy picked up where he left off versus Temple tonight.

The sophomore forward finished the game with 14 points and nine rebounds on six for nine shooting against the Owls.

He also added two blocks and collected three steals as he dominated both ends of the floor all game.

Kennedy started off by scoring eight points and grabbing five rebounds in the first four minutes to give SMU an early lead. He also helped hold Temple big men Anthony Lee and Devontae Watson to just 12 combined points as the Mustangs pounded the Owls in the paint all night.

On offense, Kennedy showed a wide array of post moves with his back to the basket and did a great job of finishing strong around the basket.

Defensively, Kennedy was very physical with the Owls and didn’t allow them any
easy points.

Since Yanick Moreira went down with an injury, Kennedy has been a beast for SMU.

He is averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds per game over his last eight games and the Mustangs are 7-1 in that stretch.

Head Coach Larry Brown has been telling Kennedy to stay focused on playing with great energy and getting his teammates involved more often.

Brown was proud of Kennedy’s performance tonight, especially after the big man’s surprise flight home earlier in the week.

“Kennedy’s been great and he had an emotional week,” Brown said. “He’s a Philly kid and there’s a lot of pride over there.

“Anyone who lives in Philly has a tremendous amount of respect for what Temple does. I’m happy we got a win.”

The Mustangs 75-52 victory was their 12th straight at home this season.

The team plays first-place Cincinnati Saturday at Moody Coliseum in one of the biggest games of the year.

Kennedy will have another challenge against Bearcats big man Justin Jackson who is averaging 11 points and seven rebounds per game.