Temple loses season finale to USF in first round of AAC Tournament
Temple's offense couldn't stay hot until it was too late in a two-point loss to USF.
Temple started its game against South Florida on a roll. The Owls were scoring at will.
But, like most young teams, their biggest challenge is consistency. The contrast in offensive play in the first and second halves was drastic.
Temple’s offense went eight minutes without a field goal, and it was the difference in a close game. The Bulls defeated the Owls, 73-71, in the first round of the American Athletic Conference tournament at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
Temple had a 39-38 lead with 19 minutes, 24 seconds left when Jake Forrester made a layup. That lead grew to three on the next possession after two free throws from Nick Jourdain. Four minutes passed as Temple (5-11) went from leading by three to trailing by six.
Temple’s Damian Dunn added two free throw with 14:13 left in the second half, but it wasn’t until the 10-minute mark that Jeremiah Williams ended the field goal drought.
“Everybody was playing as an individual and just trying to win the game with one shot,” Temple head coach Aaron McKie said. “Whenever we were moving the ball and attacking the paint and kicking it, we got some really good shots. We got away from that, and it cost us.”
It felt like Temple’s season was over when the Owls trailed, 67-56, with two minutes left. Then, Brendan Barry hit three consecutive threes after the Owls got a steal and missed free throws from USF (9-12). Suddenly, Temple was down two with 1:07 remaining.
Unfortunately for Temple, those three-pointers may not be the most memorable plays involving Barry. Battle knocked down two free throws with 16 seconds left, and Temple set up its pressure defense. As Justin Brown attempted to dribble away from pressure, his elbow caught Barry on the jaw. The play was initially ruled a common foul on Barry, and, after review, the referees ruled that Brown didn’t swing his elbow.
“From my view, I thought it was a little bit more,” McKie said.
“I’m not sure how high the elbow was, but the foul occurred first,” USF coach Brian Gregory said. “I think it was the correct call.”
Khalif Battle had one last chance to score. Temple was down two, and the Bulls missed both free throws. Battle pushed the tempo in transition and lost the ball as time expired.
“It hurts me,” Battle said. “I can’t really put into words how much I wanted us to win, and I had a chance.”
Dunn returned from a knee injury for the first time since Feb. 12. He came off the bench and scored 11 points in 23 minutes. Both teams shot 39% from the field.
Battle got off to a red-hot start as part of Temple’s scoring streak. He had 12 points in the first half and finished with a team-high 18 points on 4-for-14 shooting.
Rebounding was Temple’s biggest focus, but the Bulls ended the first half on an offensive rebound and putback at the buzzer. USF outrebounded Temple 45-41 overall and 13-7 on the offensive glass.
David Collins was the thorn in Temple’s side (when he wasn’t at the free-throw line). He scored 23 points on 9-for-19 shooting. His 3-for-10 shooting on free throws left the game open for Temple’s late run.
Thursday’s result put an end to a strange Temple season. The Owls started twith a COVID-19 pause and just came off another one right before the AAC tournament. It was tough sledding for a young team that lost most of its production from last season.
“I feel comfortable in saying that we have some good young pieces as we continue to move forward,” McKie said. “Just want to add some other pieces around them to really complete the puzzle.”