After a road loss to East Carolina last Wednesday night, Temple looked to get back on a winning track with a road game against South Florida on Sunday afternoon.
Led by senior guard Quenton DeCosey, who notched a season-high 30 points, the Owls (12-8, 6-3 American Athletic Conference) defeated the Bulls 70-63 at the Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida.
The senior has totaled double-digit points in all but two games this season, and the Owls are 6-1 when DeCosey scores 20-or-more points.
After a jump shot from senior forward Jaylen Bond with 13 minutes, 12 seconds remaining in the game increased the Owls’ lead to 15, the Bulls went on a 19-9 run to cut the deficit to five points with 2:30 on the clock.
On the Owls’ following possession, senior Devin Coleman converted a 3-point shot, his only bucket of the game, to extend the Owls’ lead to eight.
Five DeCosey free throws in the final minute of play helped secure the win.
Bond returned to the lineup after missing the past two games with a back injury. He scored eight points and grabbed three rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench.
Temple had trouble attacking the South Florida zone defense in the first half, shooting 38 percent from the field and 28 percent from 3-point range. DeCosey was the lone Owl to score in double figures during the first 20 minutes, totaling 20 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field.
For the game, the Owls made 9-of-25 shots from 3-point range, including 4-of-7 from DeCosey. The senior guard also converted 14-of-17 free-throw attempts.
Other contributors for the Owls included sophomore forward Obi Enechionyia and freshman guard Trey Lowe.
Enechionyia converted on 2-of-5 attempts from 3-point range, totaling 13 points. Lowe, in his fourth-consecutive start, chimed in with 11 points, including two after stealing an inbound pass, which he finished off with a dunk.
With the victory, the Owls are tied with Cincinnati and Tulsa for second place in The American. The Owls face the Golden Hurricane on Thursday at the Liacouras Center.
Chris Stewart can be reached at sports@temple-news.com
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