The Tigers’ chances of dancing in the NCAA tournament took a hit Wednesday night in Philadelphia. Led by 22 points from Shizz Alston, the Temple Owls ended the U of M’s three-game winning streak to earn just their second win in eight American Athletic Conference games. The loss drops Memphis to 15-6 overall and 5-3 in the AAC.
Despite shooting 33 percent over the game’s first 20 minutes, the Tigers entered halftime with the score tied at 30. But Temple had a 10-point lead less than five minutes into the second half and extended the margin to 12 on back-to-back three pointers by Obi Enechionyia and Alston. Daniel Dingle added 16 points for Temple (11-10) and Mark Williams scored 15 off the bench.
The Owls held the Tigers’ top scorer, Dedric Lawson, to 13 points. (Lawson left the game near the end of the second half with what appeared to be neck soreness.) Point guard Jeremiah Martin led Memphis in the scoring column with 16 points and Markel Crawford added 15, though only four in the second half. The Tigers shot 40 percent for the game while Temple hit 48 percent of their shots from the field and buried 11 three-pointers.
The Tigers return to FedExForum Saturday afternoon to face East Carolina. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
