Senior guard Shizz Alston surpassed the 20-point march for the seventh straight game as the Owls ended their regular season on a high note with a 67-62 win over No. 25 UCF in Fran Dunphy's final home game as Temple's head coach.
The win gave Temple (23-8, 13-5 The American) a much-needed Quadrant One victory and also likely gave the Owls the No. 3 seed in next week's American Athletic Conference tournament, depending on how Wichita State fares vs. Tulane tonight. If Temple had lost to UCF (23-7, 13-5 The American), the Owls would have been faced with the probability of playing Memphis on its home court as the No. 4 seed.
The last time the two teams played, UCF senior center Tacko Fall dominated Temple to the tune of 16 points and 11 rebounds in 31 minutes. This time around, Temple got the 7-foot-6 Fall into early foul trouble and held the Senegal native to just two points and five rebounds in 20 minutes of playing time.
While Fall struggled, UCF redshirt junior guard Aubrey Dawkins put together a dominant performance and led all players with 36 points and 11 rebounds. Dawkins, who was a gametime decision with back spasms, made 6-of-11 3-pointers. Outside of Dawkins, the Knights made just three of their 14 3-point attempts.
Alston, who led Temple with 21 points, made seven of 16 shots and also registered four assists. Sophomore forward Justyn Hamilton had a career-high 13 points off of 5-of-8 shooting. Junior forward Quinton Rose struggled in the first half but led Temple with nine second-half points en route to an 11-point performance. As a team, Temple forced 18 turnovers.
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