Temple’s failure to hit shots down the stretch results in a regular season finale loss to Tulane

In the final game of the regular season, Temple’s failure to make shots down the stretch ended in a loss to Tulane, 83-82, at Fogelman Arena in New Orleans on Sunday afternoon.

Tulane (19-10, 12-6 American) led by 10 points at halftime, using its up-tempo offense to find transition opportunities and open shots.

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Tulane guard Jalen Cook made a three-pointer to give his team a 16-point lead with 15 minutes, 12 seconds remaining, but Temple’s second-half resurgence nearly led to a comeback win. With less than three minutes remaining, the Owls trailed by only two points.

Temple (16-15, 10-8) guard Damian Dunn was fouled by Cook from three-point range with 37.9 seconds remaining, but Dunn missed 2 of 3 from the line. Following his third free-throw attempt, forward Kur Jongkuch grabbed a pivotal rebound and assisted Dunn, who made a three-pointer to give Temple a one-point lead that wouldn’t hold.

Forward Nick Jourdain fouled R.J. McGee, who made both three throws to give Tulane an 83-82 lead with 14 seconds remaining. On the following possession, guard Jaylen Forbes blocked Temple guard Jahlil White’s layup to put away the Owls.

“It was tough,” coach Aaron McKie said about the loss. “We just got off to a slow start. Those guys were making shots, and it was an uphill battle for us.”

Temple was led by Dunn, who made 7 of 16 from the floor for a team-high 21 points, including 2 of 7 from three-point range. White added 14 points.

Cook scored a game-high 24 points, including making 4 of 5 from beyond the arc.

Tulane’s top-ranked AAC offense found easy scoring opportunities against Temple’s defense.

Cook, who averages a team-high 20.5 points per game, orchestrated efficient possessions and made important shots. His teammates ran the floor and got open in space.

On the flip side, Temple struggled to score at times. The Owls made 28 of 64 from the floor, including 8 of 29 from beyond the arc.

“We got a lot of good looks, we just didn’t make shots,” McKie said. “Some of them were probably contested, but we certainly had some good looks early on. We just didn’t make shots early.”

For most of the game, the Owls could not slow down the Green Wave because of their fast-paced style of play.

Tulane’s first-half performance gave them enough breathing room to sneak out a one-point win. The Green Wave went on an 11-2 run to establish momentum at the 12:15 mark.

Temple will face Cincinnati (20-11, 11-7) in the quarterfinals of the AAC Tournament on Thursday at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.