Temple Comes Up Short in 76-71 Loss to UAB

Wednesday, February 18

Philadelphia, Pa.

7:00 PM

Temple University

15-11,7-6American

UAB

17-10,8-6American

UAB

Temple

Temple Comes Up Short in 76-71 Loss to UAB

2.18.26 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Philadelphia – In another tight game at the Liacouras Center, the Temple University men's basketball team came up short against UAB, 76-71
.
Jordan Mason scored a team-high 14 points in the second half to help keep the Owls within reach, but the Blazers sealed the win at the free-throw line, improving to 7-0 in conference road games this season.

With the loss, Temple moves into a tie sixth place in the American Conference standings with a 7-6 conference record, matching the record of the Charlotte 49ers. Temple will hit the road for its next two contests, traveling to Wichita State (9-5) on Saturday before heading south to face Florida Atlantic (7-7).

HOW IT HAPPENED

Right out of the gates, Jordan Mason put Temple on the board 18 seconds into play as the Owls jumped out to a quick 6-3 lead. Jamai Felt made his presence felt defensively, recording two early blocks as Temple led 10-3 after five minutes.
UAB answered with a 6-0 run, trimming the Temple lead to one. At the nine-minute mark, the Owls still held a four-point advantage, scoring 18 of their first 20 points in the paint.
The Blazers continued to build momentum, using a 14-2 run to take a seven-point lead. Derrian Ford stopped the bleeding with a contested layup, but a UAB three-pointer restored the cushion as the Blazers carried a 39-33 lead into halftime.
While UAB continued to maintain its advantage, Temple showed some flashes in the second half. The Owls used a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to two, but UAB answered and maintained a four-point lead at the 16-minute mark.
Approaching the midway point of the half, the margin was still tight with the Blazers holding a three-point advantage eight minutes into the period. Jordan Mason fueled a surge for the Owls as Temple regained a slight 56-55 lead with ten minutes left to go.
Down the stretch, neither team led by more than four for over 10 minutes of game time. UAB held a three-point edge with 1:20 remaining. In the final minute, UAB closed the game on a 5-2 run, with three of those points coming at the free-throw line. The Blazers secured the 76-71 win and improved to a perfect 7-0 in conference road games.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

Jordan Mason (18), Derrian Ford (17) and Masiah Gilyard (10) all finished in double figures.
The Owls finished the night committing just five turnovers. This marks the fourth game this season where TU has committed five or less turnover with the Owls ranking seventh nationally with an average of 9.1 turnovers committed per game.
Jamai Felt recorded a season-high 10 rebounds, including six offensive boards. This marks the most rebounds for an Owl in an individual game this season.
Masiah Gilyard recorded a season-high five defensive rebounds.
Temple tied its season high with 52 points in the paint, matching its total against Georgian Court (Dec. 9).
The Owls are 7-6 in games decided by five points or fewer.
With 17 points, Derrian Ford has scored at least 17 in seven of his last eight games.

UP NEXT
The Owls will next begin a two-game road trip, starting with a Saturday night showdown against the Wichita State Shockers on Feb. 21. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET with the game being broadcast on ESPN2.