Temple University Athletics
Temple University
4-4
Texas
8-1
Men's Basketball Falls 81-80 to Texas in Overtime Heartbreaker
12.7.13 | Men's Basketball
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PHILADELPHIA (Wells Fargo Center) - After a big second-half rally got Temple men's basketball back into the game, the Owls ultimately fell in heartbreaking fashion to Texas in overtime, 81-80. Temple (4-4) trailed by as many as 16 points to Texas (8-1) in the first half, before taking a three-point lead late in the second half.
Anthony Lee notched a double-double with career-highs in points and rebounds, scoring a game-high 23 points to go with a game-high 14 boards. He hit 10-of-15 from the field, but like much of the team, struggled from the free throw line.
The Owls hit just 15-of-31 at the line (48.4 percent), but the Longhorns did not fare much better, hitting 21-of-35 (60 percent). One of Temple's misses came on a lane violation by Dalton Pepper with 14 seconds left in overtime, which would otherwise have been a made shot that gave Temple a three-point lead.Â
As it was, Temple led 80-78 before the Longhorns' Javan Felix hit a trey with eight seconds left for the final margin of 81-80. Temple had a few seconds at the other end but could not get a three to go. Felix was the same player who had an opportunity to win the game for Texas in regulation but missed a last-second three-pointer.
Pepper scored 20 points and tied his career-high with five assists. Will Cummings added four assists to 13 points, and Quenton DeCosey dished a career-high seven assists while also scoring in double figures with 11 points. As a team, the Owls came up with a season-best 12 steals.
Four players scored in double figures for Texas, led by Jonathan Holmes with 16 points and eight boards. The Longhorns controlled the glass for much of the game, and a 20-10 edge in offensive rebounds led to a 21-9 advantage in second-chance points.
Texas shot over 50 percent in the first half, taking a double-digit lead on the Owls just past the midway point and not relinquishing it until the second half. Temple twice cut the deficit to 10 points after trailing by as many as 16.
Pepper paced the Owls with 10 first-half points including two treys, while the Longhorns' Isaiah Taylor led all players with 15 points at halftime, giving his team a 48-37 advantage at the break. It was the first game all season in which Temple trailed at halftime.
The Longhorns extended their 11-point halftime lead to 13 points early in the second half, but it would be their largest lead the rest of the way.
Two three-pointers by DeCosey over a two-minute span helped Temple cut the deficit to eight on two occasions, the second at 11:33. After the Longhorns went back up by 10, 66-56 at 9:00, the Owls exploded with a 17-4 run over the next seven and a half minutes. Temple tied the game twice before taking its first lead with 3:01 remaining on a free throw by Lee. Pepper hit a fastbreak layup at 2:31 for a 73-70 advantage, but the Owls did not score again in regulation.
Texas hit 3-of-4 at the line in the remaining time to tie the game, but missed four shots from the field while Temple missed two field goals and four free throws.
The Owls were down by three early in the overtime period before a layup for Lee was followed by 2-of-2 at the line for Daniel Dingle, putting Temple up 79-78. Connor Lammert missed a pair of free throws for Texas with 15 seconds left, and Texas was forced to foul Pepper, who hit one shot before committing the lane violation on his second shot.
Temple will have some time off for finals before its next game, as the Owls will host Texas Southern at the Liacouras Center on Dec. 18. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. on ESPN3.
