PHILADELPHIA — In a thrilling conclusion to the regular season, Temple managed an upset victory over North Texas with a final score of 66-61 on Sunday.
Both teams will now move forward to participate in the American Athletic Association Conference Tournament. Temple, occupying the ninth seed, is slated to play in the second round on Thursday, while North Texas, the second seed, will play its quarterfinal game on Friday.
Key player Steve Settle led the charge for the Owls (17-14, 9-9 American Athletic Conference) with 15 points and also contributed five rebounds. Zion Stanford bolstered the team’s efforts by scoring 14 points and securing seven rebounds. Adding to the team’s total, Elijah Gray hit 4 out of 6 shots from the field and went 3 for 4 from the free-throw line, tallying a total of 12 points for the game.
The Mean Green (23-7, 14-4) saw Atin Wright as their leading scorer, who managed to accumulate 18 points. Brenen Lorient also made a significant impact with 15 points, and Jasper Floyd added to the scoreboard with 10 points and four assists. This defeat snapped a seven-game winning streak for North Texas.
Temple held a halftime lead of 34-24 against North Texas, with Matteo Picarelli contributing nine points in the first half. Wright’s performance in scoring Temple’s last six points was crucial as they clinched the match by a five-point margin.
