Temple hopes to return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2008 by winning the inaugural American Athletic Conference tournament or earning an at-large bid.
Temple won its first conference game of the season, 84-62, against East Carolina and graduate student guard Alliya Butts earned a season-high 28 points.
The Tigers cut Temple’s lead from 20 points to two, but Temple fended Memphis’ comeback attempt and secured an 85-76 win on Thursday at the Liacouras Center.