Temple falls to Memphis in Fran Dunphy’s 900th game of coaching career

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis held Temple star guard Shizz Alston to only nine points in the second half and the Tigers pulled away after intermission to defeat the Owls, 81-73, on Tuesday night at FedEx Forum.

Alston had 22 points, including 8-for-8 from the line, to lead Temple (20-8, 10-5 American Athletic Conference), which entered the game on a three-game winning streak. J.P. Moorman added 14 points and 10 rebounds for his third career double-double, while Nate Pierre-Louis finished with 16 points, all in the second half..

It was the 900th game in the coaching career of Owls coach Fran Dunphy, who is retiring at the end of this season, his 13th with Temple.

The game was a matchup between the AAC’s two leading scorers, but the Tigers’ Jeremiah Martin got the edge over Alston in putting up 30 points to lead all scorers.

The Owls had a lead with 12 minutes to go and trailed by only three with seven minutes left, but a 9-0 run put the Tigers (18-11, 10-6) up by 12 and put the game out of reach for Temple.

Temple later trailed by 15 points with 2:45 left, but got only within eight as time ran out. Memphis shot nearly 58 percent in the second half, while holding the Owls to 32.4 percent from the field.

The Tigers honored Dunphy before the game with a gift basket and a basketball signed by Penny Hardaway and the rest of the Memphis coaching staff.

“Thanks so much for your contributions to the game. You will be missed,” Hardaway wrote.

The Owls return home on Sunday to host Tulane.