Temple Falls to Tulsa 78-76 in Regular Season Finale

Sunday, March 8

Tulsa, Okla.

3:00 PM

Temple University

16-15,8-10American

Tulsa

25-6,13-5American

Temple

Tulsa

Temple Falls to Tulsa 78-76 in Regular Season Finale

3.8.26 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

TULSA, Okla. – The Temple University men's basketball team closed the 2025-26 regular season with a tight two-point loss to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Sunday afternoon, 78-76. The Owls led for nearly 30 minutes of game time, but Tulsa took the lead late to secure the win in front of its home crowd.

The Owls' offense was potent throughout the afternoon despite the loss, shooting 100% from the free-throw line while Derrian Ford (23), Aiden Tobiason (19), and Jordan Mason (19) combined to score 61 of the team's 78 points.

Temple will next turn its attention to the American Conference Tournament beginning March 11 at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Owls took an early lead in Tulsa, with Jordan Mason leading the charge. Mason scored five of the team's first seven points, including a perimeter shot, as Temple took a 9-6 lead through four and a half minutes of action.
With the first half nearing its midway point, the contest remained tight. The Owls maintained a steady hold on the lead, trailing for only 28 seconds through the opening 12 minutes of play.
With the game heading toward halftime, Temple began to flex its muscle, using a 7-0 run to take a game-high eight-point lead with six minutes remaining. Derrian Ford began to hit his stride, scoring eight points during the stretch.
At halftime, the Owls held a two-point lead. Ford led the team in scoring, while Babatunde Durodola quietly filled up the stat sheet with five rebounds and three assists.
Tulsa was able to gather some momentum, evening the game at 48 before Jordan Mason converted on a physical and-one finish to push the Owls back in front.
The Golden Hurricane reestablished control, gaining their first lead of the second half at 54-53. The two sides continued to trade blows, including five lead changes between the ten and seven-minute marks.
With the game moving toward the homestretch, Temple held a slim two-point advantage with four minutes remaining. Babatunde Durodola finished through contact to keep the Owls in front.
The Golden Hurricane gained a two-point lead with two minutes left. Ade Popoola then drilled a three-pointer to provide the home team with a 6-0 run and a five-point lead with 1:13 left.
After the two sides traded turnovers, Aiden Tobiason drilled a perimeter shot to cut the Tulsa lead to one. Tulsa answered with two made free throws before Derrian Ford converted inside to again trim the margin to one.
Tulsa added one more free throw, which proved enough as the Golden Hurricane held on for a 78-76 win in front of a senior day crowd.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

Derrian Ford (23), Jordan Mason (19), and Aiden Tobiason (19) all finished in double figures for the Owls. This marked the 12th game this season in which Ford led Temple in scoring.
Temple shot a perfect 16-16 from the free-throw line, marking the first time this season that the Owls shot 100% from the line in a game.
Finishing with nine rebounds, Babatunde Durodola set a season-high.
Temple shot 46% from the field compared to Tulsa's 42%, outrebounded them by one (35-34), had four more steals (6-2) and outscored them in the paint by 12 (38-26).
The Owls held the lead for 29:59 of game time.

UP NEXT

Temple will next face the Florida Atlantic Owls in the first round of the 2026 American Conference Tournament. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET with the game streaming on ESPN+ and available to listen to on Owlsports.com/listen.