Temple’s NCAA Tournament hopes took another hit Sunday evening.
Following a loss against #21 SMU on Thursday, in which the Owls blew a double-digit second half lead, Fran Dunphy and his Temple squad traveled to Tulsa looking to get back on track and pick up their 20th win of the season.
The Owls would do just the opposite, however, going ice cold from the field on their way to a 55-39 loss to the Golden Hurricane.
Following a loss against #21 SMU on Thursday, in which the Owls blew a double-digit second half lead, Fran Dunphy and his Temple squad traveled to Tulsa looking to get back on track and pick up their 20th win of the season.
The Owls would do just the opposite, however, going ice cold from the field on their way to a 55-39 loss to the Golden Hurricane.
After falling behind in the opening minutes, the Owls would take a 6-5 lead on a Jaylen Bond jumper just more than three minutes into play.
That would be Temple’s only lead of the night, however, as the Owls were plagued by terrible shooting.
Senior guard Will Cummings would find himself in foul trouble early in this one, forcing the Owls’ leader to the bench, as Temple went more than seven and a half minutes without a field goal.
Despite poor shooting for the entire team and sparing minutes for Cummings in the half, the Owls would find themselves trailing just 26-22 at the break.
Tulsa would take command in the second half, stretching its lead to as much as 20, as the Owls continued to miss seemingly every shot in a 55-39 loss.
For the game, Temple shot just 24.6 percent (14-for-57) from the field, including going just 1-for-14 from beyond the arc.
The shooting was even worse if you scratch below the surface. The Owls shot just 18 percent as a team if you take away Cummings’ 5-for-7 day from the field.
Cummings would finish with 15 points in the end for the Owls, but the only thing that would matter would be the major hit that Temple’s tournament hopes just took.
At 19-9, the Owls have just three regular season games remaining before heading to the AAC Tournament. Following a disappointing road trip, Temple will likely need to win out and make a run in the conference tournament if they want to avoid being on the outside looking in at the Big Dance come March.
At this point, the Owls control their own destiny.
By: Kyle Babcock
Follow us on Twitter: @BroadStBeat
That would be Temple’s only lead of the night, however, as the Owls were plagued by terrible shooting.
Senior guard Will Cummings would find himself in foul trouble early in this one, forcing the Owls’ leader to the bench, as Temple went more than seven and a half minutes without a field goal.
Despite poor shooting for the entire team and sparing minutes for Cummings in the half, the Owls would find themselves trailing just 26-22 at the break.
Tulsa would take command in the second half, stretching its lead to as much as 20, as the Owls continued to miss seemingly every shot in a 55-39 loss.
For the game, Temple shot just 24.6 percent (14-for-57) from the field, including going just 1-for-14 from beyond the arc.
The shooting was even worse if you scratch below the surface. The Owls shot just 18 percent as a team if you take away Cummings’ 5-for-7 day from the field.
Cummings would finish with 15 points in the end for the Owls, but the only thing that would matter would be the major hit that Temple’s tournament hopes just took.
At 19-9, the Owls have just three regular season games remaining before heading to the AAC Tournament. Following a disappointing road trip, Temple will likely need to win out and make a run in the conference tournament if they want to avoid being on the outside looking in at the Big Dance come March.
At this point, the Owls control their own destiny.
By: Kyle Babcock
Follow us on Twitter: @BroadStBeat
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