Men's Basketball Falls 69-56 to SMU in American Championship Semifinals

Saturday, March 14

Hartford, Conn.

3:00 p.m.

Temple University

23-10

SMU (American Athletic Conference Semifinal)

26-6

Temple

SMU

Quenton DeCosey

Photo by: Jessica Hill

Men's Basketball Falls 69-56 to SMU in American Championship Semifinals

3.14.15 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

HARTFORD, Conn. - For the third time in as many meetings this season, Temple men's basketball built a double-digit lead on #20/21 SMU but could not hold it, this time falling 69-56 to the Mustangs (26-6) in the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference Championship.

The Owls (23-10) now await their fate at the hands of the NCAA Selection Committee. The selection show will air at 6:00 p.m. Sunday on CBS.

Junior Quenton DeCosey led Temple with 14 points and five rebounds, while senior Jesse Morgan also finished in double figures with 10 points. Senior point guard Will Cummings scored nine points before leaving the game with an apparent shoulder injury with just under five minutes left in the game.

Another loss for much of the game was Jaylen Bond, who played just 11 minutes after picking up two early fouls in the first half and two more in the second.

Markus Kennedy led SMU with 17 points including 9-of-12 free throws, while also pulling down a nine rebounds. The Mustangs had a huge advantage on the glass, out-rebounding Temple 45-32.

SMU missed its first six attempts from the field while Temple jumped out to an 11-3 early lead that included five points for Morgan. The Owls' lead increased to double-digits at 11:17 when Cummings converted a three-point play for a 17-7 advantage, but it was as much separation as Temple would get.

With a 7-0 run, the Mustangs pulled within three as the Owls suffered a four-minute scoring drought. Down the stretch, Temple's free throw shooting kept the Owls in the lead as Obi Enechionyia hit four in a row, and a pair by Josh Brown made it 26-18 Temple with 3:13 left in the half.

SMU went 4-for-5 from the field to close the half, and the Mustangs tied the game at 26-26 with under a minute left. Enechionyia was able to give Temple a two-point lead before the break on a jumper with 28 seconds remaining, putting the Owls up 28-26 at the break.

Overall, Temple hit 10-of-11 free throws in the first half but shot just 32 percent from the field to SMU's 38 percent.

Temple increased its lead to four points on two occasions early in the second half, but SMU kept up its strong shooting and hit four of its first five. The Mustangs took their first lead of the game at 16:40, while Bond picked up his fourth foul and was forced to take a seat on the bench.

The lead switched hands twice more before SMU took it for good and the Owls really began to struggle on offense. Temple had held American Player of the Year Nic Moore to just two points in the first half, but he came alive in a 9-0 SMU run that put the Mustangs up by 11, 49-38 at 11:52.

After SMU led by as many as 12, the Owls cut it to seven three times but could get no closer. Devin Coleman scored back-to-back buckets, with the second putting Temple down seven for the final time, 63-56 at 2:43. The Owls were not able to score again as SMU closed the game on a 6-0 run, with the final four points coming at the free throw line.

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