ORLANDO, Fla. — Behind a team-high 17 points from Jaylen Bond, the Temple Owls on Thursday cruised to a 79-62 victory over the USF Bulls in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament.
Up only eight at the half, Temple stretched its lead to as much 23 in the second half. USF scored the game’s opening basket and never led again.
The top-seeded Owls will play the winner of this afternoon’s matchup between No. 4 UConn and No. 5 Cincinnati at 3 p.m. Saturday in the semifinals.
With the win, Temple improved to 21-10 overall (15-4 American) and advanced its bid for an NCAA Tournament berth at least one more day. Despite winning their league’s regular-season title, the Owls likely need at least one more win to avoid being left out as a potential at-large snub, like they were last year.
USF, meanwhile, dropped to 8-25 overall and 4-15 in league play. The Bulls have played this season with just seven scholarship players because of injuries and transfers. Their season is mercifully over.
Big men on campus
Bond was 8 of 12 from the floor and tied USF’s Chris Perry for the game-high in rebounds with eight.
Owls sophomore forward Obi Enechionyia played only seven minutes in the first half after picking up two early fouls but was a force in the second half, finishing with 13 points and five rebounds.
Perry, apparently and affectionately known as “Skippy Walnuts,” led the Bulls with a game-high 19 points.
First half
Temple jumped out to a 14-point lead, 23-9, on the strength of 9 of 18 shooting from the floor, totals that swooned over the final nine minutes. The Owls closed the opening 20 minutes making just four of their next 14 attempts.
With his team trailing by 11 and the clock winding down, Jahmal McMurray — off one foot, not facing the basket — heaved a desperation three at the buzzer that found the basket and cut Temple’s lead to eight, 35-27, at the break.
Perry led all scorers in the first half with nine points.
Temple took a whopping 17 threes, making only five. The difference in the half: 10 Temple points off 10 USF turnovers.
Inside the box score
Temple junior forward Mark Williams is a career 25.4 percent three-point shooter. He was 3 of 3 from behind the arc and finished with 11.
What’s next
The Owls have beaten Cincinnati twice, including once in double overtime at the Liacouras Center on Jan. 16.
They’ve also beaten UConn twice, knocking off the No. 23 Huskies at the Liacouras Center on Jan. 5 and stunning Kevin Ollie’s team in Storrs with a 21-4 closing run on Feb. 11.