In an exciting matchup at the American Athletic Conference Tournament in Fort Worth, Texas, Jared Garcia played an instrumental role in guiding Tulsa to a narrow victory against Temple with a score of 75-71. Coming off the bench, Garcia contributed significantly with 20 points, further adding five rebounds for the Golden Hurricane, who are seeded tenth. This victory propels Tulsa, now holding a record of 13-19, into the quarterfinals where they will face the second-seeded team, North Texas, on Friday.
Dwon Odom bolstered Tulsa’s effort with 14 points and eight assists, while Keaston Willis contributed 11 points to the scoreboard. Despite Tulsa’s successful run, Temple’s Steve Settle made a noteworthy performance by scoring 22 points, along with securing six rebounds and three steals, proving to be a strong competitor for the Owls, who ended their season with a 17-15 record. Zion Stanford added to Temple’s endeavor with 17 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two blocks. Shane Dezonie also scored 10 points for the Owls.
At the end of the first half, Tulsa found themselves trailing by 12 points, with Wilson contributing six points in that period. Despite the deficit, the team rallied in the second half to secure their place in the next round of the tournament.
