The Owls will need a strong showing in their remaining six games of the regular season to qualify for the American Conference tournament.
Temple overcame an 11-point deficit in the first half against East Carolina on Saturday and had to do it again in the fourth quarter to avoid their third straight loss,.
The Owls worked for a comeback at the Liacouras Center, but every time they got a bucket, the Pirates had a response. Temple brought its deficit down to four in the final minutes, but ECU held the Owls off and handed them a 79-73 loss.
“It was a tough game,” said head coach Diane Richardson. “We are trying to learn how to put four quarters and we got some things to work on. I look at the stat sheet and we sat back for a bit then we turned it on. So we’ve got to just be consistent.”
Temple (10-14, 4-8 American) sits in ninth place in the American Conference standings and has six games remaining in the regular season. The top 10 teams qualify for the tournament.
The Owls’ offense focused on attacking the paint early, and Saniyah Craig led the efforts.
She recorded a game-high 20 points and added six rebounds. Guard Savannah Curry had one of her best performances of the season, putting up 18 points on 6-for-8 shooting and grabbing a team-best eight rebounds. Temple struggled with turnovers as it gave the ball away 24 times and every player had at least one turnover.
” READ MORE: Kaylah Turner went from Temple’s top reserve to leading scorer in the American — and she isn’t satisfied
“I was really just playing my game,” Craig said. “Playing slower because usually when I speed up, I throw the ball over the rim, so I was just playing slower and playing my game.”
The Pirates (19-7, 11-2) were led by guard Kennedy Fauntleroy and forward Anzhané Hutton, each scored 19 points apiece.
Temple shot 69.2% from the field in the first quarter and 50% through 20 minutes, but couldn’t get out of its own way. Temple committed 17 turnovers in the first half, which ECU turned into 13 points. The Pirates built an 11-point led midway through the second quarter before Temple found its footing.
The Owls ended the quarter on an 11-0 run, thanks to their strong defense and free-throw shooting. A buzzer-beating three-pointer from Drew Alexander sent the game to halftime tied at 36. Temple failed to carry that momentum into the second half as its offense went cold.
The teams traded baskets for much of the third frame before the Pirates pushed their lead to 11 in the final minute. Temple spent the fourth quarter searching for a comeback and got within four points multiple times, but could not come up with a clutch basket or defensive stop to get over the hump.
“I need our bench to be more aggressive and give us more,” Richardson said. “Oftentimes I try to give our starters a little rest, but our bench has really got to step up and fill those gaps so there is not much of a drop off. And that’s on me.”
Temple guard Kaylah Turner knocked down two free throws to bring ECU’s lead down to 75-71 with 32 seconds remaining. She then stole the ensuing inbounds pass to give Temple another chance to get within one possession.
However, Turner moved a little too quickly and lost control of the ball. Pirates guard Jayla Hearp grabbed it, and the Owls were forced to foul. Temple did not get another opportunity as ECU made its free throws to secure the win.
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