Temple Earns 77-70 Win Over No. 22 Cincinnati
CINCINNATI (AP) — Quenton DeCosey scored 19 points and hit three free throws in the closing seconds, helping Temple pull away to a 77-70 victory over No. 22 Cincinnati on Tuesday, the Owls' first win over a ranked team this season.
Temple (6-5, 1-0 American Athletic) had lost its three previous games against Top 25 teams — North Carolina, Butler and Utah — but closed the game with an 11-5 run to get the breakthrough win.
The Bearcats (10-4, 0-1) have dropped four of their past seven games, including back-to-back losses against Iowa State and Temple on their home floor.
Temple broke open a close game that included 11 ties and 14 lead changes. Daniel Dingle and Devin Coleman hit back-to-back 3s that put the Owls up 73-65 with 1:13 to go, and DeCosey made three free throws in the final 25 seconds to finish it off.
The Owls shot 50 percent from the field against a defense that's among the nation's best. Temple went 10 of 22 from beyond the arc, matching its season high for 3-pointers made in a game.
Troy Caupain led Cincinnati with a season-high 19 points.
The Owls also beat Cincinnati 75-59 last February in Philadelphia, ending the Bearcats' streak of holding 28 consecutive opponents under 70 points. In the rematch, the Bearcats came out aggressive and pulled ahead 14-7, their biggest lead of the game.
DeCosey had a pair of free throws and a layup during an 8-2 spurt that gave the Owls their biggest lead of the half 39-34. There were 10 lead changes in the half, which ended with Temple ahead 39-37.
The Owls shot 57 percent from the field in the opening half, including 5 of 11 from beyond the arc.
Neither team could put a run together at the start of the second half. There were five ties in the first 8 minutes. DeCosey was fouled while shooting a 3-pointer and made all of the free throws for a 58-53 lead midway through the half. The Owls then missed six of seven shots, allowing Cincinnati to stay close until the final minutes.
TIP-INS
Temple: The Owls made a season-high 30 free throws — in 38 attempts — in their win over Delaware State on Dec. 19. Against Cincinnati, they missed their first four and finished 15 of 22.
Cincinnati: Farad Cobb leads the AAC with 36 3-pointers, shooting 45.9 percent from beyond the arc. He was 2 of 6 on Tuesday.
UP NEXT
Temple: The Owls host Houston on Saturday.
Cincinnati: The Bearcats host Tulsa on Saturday.
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