Temple just earned a first-round bye in next week’s AAC tournament. Here’s how
The Owls have scratched and clawed their way to a No. 5 seed in the tournament following a win against UCF Thursday and a little help from their foes.
Temple clinched a first-round bye in the American Athletic Conference tournament with a 57-55 win over Central Florida inside the Liacouras Center.
Additionally, with Wichita State’s loss to Houston, the Owls clinched the No. 5 seed in the conference and will play the winner of Tulane-Cincinnati next Friday in the AAC quarterfinals.
On Senior Night, the Owls (16-14, 10-7 American) honored senior guard Ryan Sayers, graduate center Kur Jongkuch and redshirt sophomore Damian Dunn in addition to three-time all-Big 5 player John “Jumpin’ Johnny” Baum at halftime to celebrate his retirement as the color commentator on Temple’s radio broadcasts after 25 years. Baum is one of five Owls to tally both 1,000 points and rebounds in his career.
Notably absent for the third-straight game? Owls guard Khalif Battle, also eligible to receive Senior Night honors.
“We’re moving on,” said Temple head coach Aaron McKie. “Just going forward with the guys we’ve got.”
What we saw
Scoring was a collective effort for the Owls on Thursday as every player that stayed on the floor for at least 10 minutes of play scored. Dunn, who entered the game averaging 27.5 points in the four games that Battle has either missed or been benched in this season, scored just 11 points on 30% shooting.
Without it being Dunn’s best scoring night, Temple’s other perimeter players carried the load with sophomores Zach Hicks (10 points), Nick Jourdain (10 points, 9 rebounds), Hysier Miller (9 points) and Jahlil White (8 points) combining for 37 points.
Temple was also able to stay in front of UCF (16-13, 7-10) defensively, holding the Golden Knights to 38.6% shooting, including just 26.1% from three.
The game’s biggest statistical difference was on the glass as Temple outrebounded UCF 34-23, including 11-3 on the offensive boards.
Statistical leaders
UCF guard C.J. Kelly led all scorers with 19 points, followed by forward Taylor Hendricks, who dropped 16. Dunn led the way for Temple with 11.
Jourdain had a game-high of nine rebounds while Dunn led the game in assists with four.
Momentum shifts
A 3-minute, 19-second UCF first-quarter scoring drought allowed Temple to take its first lead of the night at 16-15. Jongkuch led the Owls to a 7-0 run with two dunks, topped off with a corner three from Miller.
However, a two-minute scoring drought by Temple heading into the game’s final media timeout allowed UCF to regain a one-point lead with a little more than three minutes left.
With a chance to take a one-point lead, Dunn missed a free throw. However, Jourdain grabbed the offensive rebound and made the game-winning layup.
Up next
Temple wraps up its regular season at Tulane, playing its third game in five days on Sunday (2 p.m., ESPN+).
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