No. 3 Houston too much for Temple this time, rolling to 81-65 win

Temple’s momentum slowed to a halt on Sunday night. The Owls struggled on offense in an 81-65 loss to third-ranked Houston at the Liacouras Center.

Temple (14-10, 8-3 American Athletic Conference) outplayed Houston in the first 20 minutes and led at halftime, 37-33. The defense was performing and shots were falling.

That momentum ended after the break. Houston’s relentless defense finished with nine steals.

The Owls knocked off then-No. 1 Houston, 56-55, on Jan. 22. This loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Temple.

The most important takeaway of this game is what Temple squandered. Coach Aaron McKie’s squad could have moved up to first place in the American Athletic Conference with a win. It did not happen, and the Owls’ chances of making the NCAA Tournament got slimmer.

“The kids want to win,” McKie said of his players, who left the court with their heads lowered. “You want to win [and] sometimes [they] don’t know how to handle their emotions.”

Guard Khalif Battle scored 24 points for Temple while forwards Zach Hicks and Jamille Reynolds added 11 points each.

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Forward Jarace Walker went 8 of 12 for a team-high 23 points and grabbed six rebounds for Houston (22-2, 10-1). He presented matchup problems for Temple’s defense throughout the game. Guard Marcus Sasser contributed 13 points for the winners.

Temple stretched out Houston’s defense by making 12 three-pointers, with Hicks and Damian Dunn sinking three apiece. For the most part, Houston struggled to defend beyond the arch.

Things changed when Temple was unable to make key second-half shots. Houston’s defense swarmed and made plays. The Owls were inefficient down the stretch and failed to make enough plays to win. Temple made 20 of 51 shots from the floor.

The Cougars were more efficient. Houston went 29 of 52, including 9 of 21 from beyond the arc.

Kelvin Sampson’s team made fewer mistakes. The Cougars turned the ball over only eight times. Temple finished with 15 turnovers and Houston converted them to 21 points. “That was the difference in the game,” Battle said of the turnovers.

Houston went on a 13-0 run after halftime. The Cougars held Temple scoreless for nearly five minutes and never looked back.

Temple visits Southern Methodist (8-16, 3-8) on Wednesday at 8 p.m. (ESPN+).