Temple Men’s Basketball snapped its historic 10-game losing streak one week ago by beating UTSA on Feb. 18. The Owls traveled to face Wichita State Sunday, hoping to maintain that momentum with just a few weeks remaining before the American Athletic Conference tournament.
However, Temple only held the lead for 41 seconds in the game and trailed by just two points with less than 30 seconds to play in regulation. Guard Jordan Riley hit a layup in the closing moments of the game to send the Owls to overtime, and his team took control in the extra period, outscoring the Shockers by six to scrape by with a win.
Temple (10-17, 3-11 American Athletic Conference) defeated Wichita State (11-17, 3-12 AAC) 72-66 in overtime on Sunday in Wichita, Kansas. The Owls won back-to-back games for the first time since beating Bloomsburg on Dec. 6 and Albany on Dec. 10.
Four Owls scored double-digit points including Riley, who was crucial in the win. He led Temple with 15 points, including 13 in the second half. Guards Shane Dezonie and Hysier Miller both had 14 points, while forward Steve Settle III added 12.
Both teams played solid defense in the first half and kept the game close, but the Shockers kept the Owls a possession behind until the Owls went on a 4-0 run to tie the game at 16 halfway through the first period. Wichita State answered with a 16-7 run to end the first half, sending the Owls into the locker room down by 10.
Temple cut its deficit to seven just two minutes into the second half, and both teams went scoreless through the next two minutes of the game, missing 11 straight shots. Wichita State broke the streak and scored its first points of the half when guard Colby Rogers hit a three.
The Owls pushed their way back into the game after going on an 11-3 run with 10 minutes remaining to close the Shockers’ lead to two. Riley hit a fastbreak layup to tie the game at 43.
Temple continued to fight, but Wichita State kept its opponent at arm’s length. Dezonie made a three-pointer to tie the game at 58 with two minutes remaining, and Riley scored the final three points of the second half to send the game into an extra period.
Wichita State made the first basket in overtime, but the Owls went on a five-point run to take their first lead since the first half. Dezonie’s second-chance layup with 20 seconds left gave the Owls a two-possession lead, clinching their second win in a row.
Temple will look to extend its winning streak to three games against Rice (11-16, 5-9 AAC) in Houston on Feb. 28 at 8 p.m.
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