Following a comfortable win to open conference play, Temple was tested Wednesday afternoon.

It’s been a similar story for the Owls all season, who have had one quarter that puts the game in jeopardy. This time it was the third quarter against ECU, as Temple shot an abysmal 25% as the Pirates took a four-point lead.

A resilient comeback with seven fourth-quarter points from Kaylah Turner tied the game at 58 with just a minute remaining. With the game on the line, head coach Diane Richardson turned to the Owls’ closer in guard Tiarra East.

East, with the game on the line, missed a three, but Tarriyonna Gary wrestled away the offensive rebound, found Turner at the top of the key, and Turner knocked down a three to give Temple a three-point lead. The Owls played great team defense on the following possession, forcing an air ball before East knocked down a pair of free throws to secure a 63-58 New Year’s Day win over ECU at the Liacouras Center.

“I’m glad we ended this day on a good note,” Richardson said with relief in the Al Shrier media room. “It was a hard-fought game and it was up and down, but we were resilient.”

Gary led Temple (8-5, 2-0 American Athletic Conference) with a career-high 26 points, going 4-for-8 from deep and grabbing five rebounds. Jaleesa Molina finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds for her second career and second consecutive double-double, adding in four steals.

ECU (8-6, 0-2 AAC) jumped out to an early lead, thanks in part to guard Jayla Hearp’s pair of threes, but a 15-0 Temple run turned the tables. Gary scored 11 points during the run, including three shots from beyond the arc, as the Owls led 22-19 at the end of the first quarter.

Temple, which coasted to a 97-74 win at UAB Sunday, struggled heading into the second quarter Wednesday, as the Owls went just 1-for-9 from deep in the second period. Instead, Temple relied on defensive intensity to force turnovers and score in the paint, with Gary adding seven more points and Molina scoring four.

Hearp led the Pirates with 13 points in the first half, but Temple’s defense smothered the rest of the team, forcing 13 turnovers and scoring 19 points off those turnovers. This gave the Owls a 36-30 lead at halftime.

“We knew our defense was going to have to pull us through this game,” Richardson said. “When our shots aren't falling, we have to step up our defense. That was said in the huddle to each other, and we knew we had to get a stop.”

The third quarter proved to be the most turbulent period for both teams, as the respective defenses held each other to 25% or lower shooting. Neither team made a three point shot, going a combined 0-for-5 from deep.

Temple found a burst of offense to close the third quarter with forward Amaya Oliver scoring four points and Gary knocking down a jumper to give the Owls a slim, 46-42 lead at the end of the period.

“We just knew we had to be resilient and fight and play aggressive defense,” Gary said. “That was the only way we were gonna stop them from scoring the ball, even if we weren't scoring on the offensive end. It was important that we just stayed aggressive defensively.

Both teams' offenses picked up again in the fourth quarter, with Khia Miller and Tatyana Wyche scoring five apiece in the fourth quarter for ECU. Turner’s fourth-quarter takeover that saw her hit all three of her shots from the floor proved to be the difference in a game that saw both teams exchange leads.

Turner, last year's SWAC Freshman of the Year at Alabama A&M, scored all seven of her points in the fourth quarter, and they were the Owls' only bench points on the day. Despite this, the Owls’ defense, which forced a season-high 18 steals, carried the team when shots weren’t falling.

“We knew we had to put pressure on them,” Richardson said. “They’re a very tough team, but we knew we had to pressure their guards and turn them over. Our pressure on the ball allowed us to steal the ball and out of the 22 turnovers, 18 of them were steals. That’s team defense right there.”

Hearp led the Pirates with 19 points and six steals. Wyche finished with 11 points and nine rebounds, while fellow forward Anzhané Hutton finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season.

Temple will look to stay undefeated in conference play when the Owls play at South Florida on Saturday at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

Watch Wednesday's postgame press conference here.