Quick Report: Temple 86, Tulane 76

David Gough (@dg0ugh)
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Temple rebounded from back-to-back one-point losses with a 86-76 double-overtime victory over Tulane on Saturday afternoon.

At First…
Temple got off to a fast start on senior day. Seniors Mark Williams hit two 3-pointers and Mike Robbins had two layups in the first four minutes of the game as the Owls led 14-4 at the under-16 timeout. Tulane didn’t get its first field goal until 14:51 remaining in the first half. After a high energy start that saw Temple score 17 in the first four and a half minutes, the Owls had just 11 in the next ten minutes with a stretch of nearly five minutes without a bucket.

After having a 13-point lead, however, Tulane would get within two with three and a half remaining in the first period. Temple managed to open it back up to a seven-point advantage as the teams headed into the locker room, 35-28. In the second half, Tulane opened the second half on a 19-11 run taking a 47-46 lead just before the under-12 media timeout.

Turning Point…
Once Tulane took the lead, Temple responded with a Dan Dingle layup, Obi Enechionyia 3-pointer, and Williams jumper. With 8:12 remaining, Enechionyia slammed one home while getting fouled and Temple lead by six. Tulane then answered with a 7-0 run to retake the lead. Williams fouled Colin Slater on a 3-point attempt and he hit all three free throws to extend Tulane’s lead to 61-57 with four minutes remaining.

The Green Wave held onto the lead until Shizz Alston tied it at 65 with 6.4 seconds left and ultimately sent it to overtime.

This game went double overtime thanks to a Malik Morgan 3-pointer at the end of the first one. A Quinton Rose dunk and Alston 3-pointer got things going for the Owls though as they dominated the second overtime en route to the double-digit victory.

Standout Stars…
Williams scored a season-high 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting including Temple’s only two baskets in the first overtime.

Alston, coming as Temple’s leading scorer, made three 3-pointers and made all ten of his free throws on his way to tying his career-high 25 for the game.

Noteworthy Numbers…
20: Robbins played a career-high 20 minutes in this one. The senior’s previous career high was 14 at Central Florida on New Year’s Eve. It was the former walk-on’s first career start and he was on fire in the first five minutes of the game leading Temple with seven points on 3-of-3 shooting.

10: Tulane was able to make a comeback and force two overtimes despite Tulane shooting 30.3 percent from the field compared to Temple’s 40.8.

Up Next…
Temple (15-15, 6-11 American) at South Florida -- Sun., Mar. 5 @ 2 p.m.
Tulane (5-23, 2-14 American) at Memphis -- Thurs., Mar. 2 @ 8 p.m.