By Annie Ross
Don’t look now, but with March Madness in sight the Temple Owls are playing their best basketball of the season.
Temple beat Tulsa for the first time in a thrilling 83-79 American Athletic Conference overtime victory at the Liacouras Center.
The Owls improved to 13-9 overall and took over sole possession of second place in the AAC with a 7-3 mark, while Tulsa fell to 14-8 (6-4 AAC). Temple has won five of its last six games and seven of its last nine, including an 89-80 upset of No. 8 and previously undefeated SMU. Tulsa, which had beaten Temple all four times the teams had played, entered the game winners of six of its last seven.
Senior guard Quenton DeCosey led Temple with 21 points, all coming in the second half. DeCosey’s two free throws with 12 seconds remaining sealed the victory.
Forward Obi Enechionyia added 17 points, and forward Jaylen Bond finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds in 28 minutes for the Owls. Tulsa was led by a game-high 22 points from guard Pat Birt, and guards Shaquille Harrison and Josh Woodard combined to score 38.
The teams went into overtime tied at 70, thanks to a 3-point shot by Temple senior guard Devin Coleman with 2 seconds left in regulation. The Owls overcame a 70-65 deficit with 25 seconds to play.
Golden Hurricane guard Marquel Curtis had a chance to seal the win in regulation but missed a free throw with 10 seconds remaining.
