ORLANDO, Fla. -- The top-seeded Temple Owls were sent packing from the American Athletic Conference Tournament on Saturday, 77-62, by a decidedly not tired UConn team that played four overtimes the day prior.
The Huskies dominated the first half, led by 11 at the break and protected their lead in the second, never allowing Temple within six points in the final 20 minutes.
Temple (21-11, 14-5) now leaves its fate in the hands of the same NCAA Tournament committee that snubbed it after a semifinal loss in the AAC tourney last season.
Moreover, the Owls lost to a team with a very similar résumé that was likewise on the bubble. Temple had beaten UConn twice earlier this season, but finally lost to the Huskies at the worst possible time.
Temple now has to hope its status as the American regular-season champion will carry weight with the committee — and it might not.
Big men on campus
Daniel Hamilton and Quentin DeCosey were jawing from the opening minutes, and Hamilton outplayed him, badly. So did Shonn Miller.
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Hamilton and Miller led all scorers with 19 points each on a combined 16-for-26 shooting. It was Hamilton, Miller and Sterling Gibbs who kept Temple at bay by extending UConn’s lead each time the Owls chipped away its deficit to six or seven.
Temple’s two senior leaders, DeCosey and Jaylen Bond, put up 14 and 17 points, respectively, but DeCosey was a miserable 4 of 17 from the field.
First half
Down 12-4 early, UConn stormed ahead on the back of a 31-7 run over the next 11 minutes that gave the Huskies their largest lead of the half, up 16 points at 35-19. The Owls mounted a small rally late to enter the half down only 11, 39-28, and they were lucky it was even that close.
UConn made 55 percent of its shots in the first half, going 16 of 29 from the floor and 4 of 7 from deep. Temple, on the other hand, couldn’t throw the ball in one of Central Florida’s many lovely swamps. The Owls entered the locker room 9 of 32 from the field and 3 of 11 from three. They were dominated on the boards, 23-14.
The only thing that kept the margin from being as bad as it could have been? Twelve Temple points off seven UConn turnovers.
Inside the box score
• DeCosey was a combined 7-for-30 shooting in the tournament.
• Temple made only 4 of 20 attempts Saturday from behind the three-point line. The Owls also missed 10 foul shots.
• UConn, on the other hand, was 29 of 56 from the floor, 7 of 14 from three.
What’s next
For UConn, a spot in the final against the winner of Memphis-Tulane. And for Temple, an uncomfortable 24 hours until the selection show Sunday night.