By Matthew Aquino, OwlSports Update
It was a collaborative effort Sunday afternoon as the Owls had five players score in double digits. Temple men’s basketball (16-10, 9-6) beat Tulane University (12-13, 9-7) 75-70 moving the Owls into the number four seed in conference, currently giving them a crucial first-round bye in the upcoming AAC tournament. The Green Wave started the game on an 8-0 run, but Temple got a lift from Zach Hicks off the bench early. Hicks scored 15 points and shot 50 percent from downtown that included adding a four-point play early in the first half to cut the lead. The Owls shot 42 percent from beyond the arc and 44 percent for the game. “His shot-making ability energizes our guys, it energizes the crowd, and I like him in that role,” said head coach Aaron Mckie. “I like him in that role, coming off the bench and letting it fly.” The Owls came out on fire in the second half with an 8-0 run behind freshmen guards Hysier Miller and Jahlil White giving Temple a 37-31 lead. Tulane was not to be denied and kept the game close by forcing turnovers and getting to the free throw line consistently. The Green Wave forced the Owls into 21 turnovers and scored 22 points off of those miscues. Tulane shot 84 percent from the stripe and attempted 32 free throws. “We played hard but we didn’t play smart,” said Mckie. Despite sloppy play and poor shooting from the line, the Owls were able to overcome their miscues with solid defense and rebounding. The Owls outrebounded Tulane 45-28 and had 12 offensive rebounds. White chipped in with a career-high 12 boards, posting his second double double of the season. “My coaches want me to go out and rebound and defend my ass off every game so I feel like that's what I've been trying to do all season and I'm doing my best,” said White. After struggling to find his shooting stroke against Memphis and Cincinnati in the past two games, Damian Dunn was able to break out and led the Owls with 19 points. “You know, just keep attacking and not really get too down on myself, just knowing that those little slumps or whatever you call them don't last forever,” said Dunn. Dunn came up big late in the game when he drove in the lane and got fouled while converting a layup to increase the Owls lead to 71-66 with 40 seconds remaining. The win splits the season series between the teams but there is a chance that the Owls could end up playing the Green Wave in the AAC tournament. “Same exact game plan, slow them down from three, make smart decisions on offense, and just defend,” said White on a potential third matchup with Tulane. The Owls now sit at fourth place in the AAC standings and will try to continue the momentum when they travel to Texas on Thursday to take on the number one team in the conference, the Houston Cougars (24-4, 13-2).
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AuthorJesse Dimich-Louvet, OwlSports Update Archives
May 2022
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