Temple outlasts Tulane in triple OT to advance to AAC semifinals

FORT WORTH, Texas - Temple had five days off after clinching a share of the American Athletic Conference regular-season title and earning a double-bye in the conference tournament.

Sure enough, the Owls looked rusty in their quarterfinal matchup against 14th seed Tulane Monday night.

Both teams traded shots and misses - a combined 98 misses, to be exact. Neither gave in, forcing three extra quarters.

At the end of a very long night, guards Tiarra East and Tristen Taylor hit crucial free throws in the final 30 seconds of the third overtime, helping third-seeded Temple pull away in its 76-72 triple-overtime win over the Green Wave to advance to Tuesday’s semifinal matchup against Rice.

It was the first conference tournament win for the Temple women’s team since the Owls defeated East Carolina back on Mar. 6, 2020 under former head coach Tonya Cardoza.

“Temple prevailed,” said Temple head coach Diane Richardson. “Our defense did it. We went into three overtimes, but we never gave up. We kept pushing. I’m pleased that we got the win, and we’re gonna move on.”

The Owls had three different players reach double-digits, including East, Taylor and Demi Washington, who finished with 22, 14 and 12, respectively. Forward Rayne Tucker added eight points and 14 rebounds.

Temple struggled all game offensively, going extended periods without scoring. The Owls' offensive struggles were the main reason the game went to triple overtime in the first place, as they had multiple great looks at the end of regulation and the first overtime to put the game away, but couldn’t do so.

The half-court offense was Temple’s biggest problem. Tulane played a zone that made it difficult for the Owls to get looks inside. They struggled to move off the ball and create space, as the offense looked extremely stagnant at times. Temple shot just 33% from the field on 27-of-80 shooting.

That defensive look against Tulane was nothing new for the Owls.

“They played that zone against us the two previous times,” Richardson said. “I think maybe our shots weren’t falling early on and we stepped back a little bit. As the game went on, we knew that we had to step up, and they made shots.”

Getting a quick start was a focal point for the Owls. They did just that, breaking out to a 12-5 lead in the first four minutes. However, Tulane closed the gap toward the end of the first quarter and built on that momentum to stay within reach throughout regulation.

The third quarter was all defense, as Temple and Tulane combined for just 17 points.

The fourth quarter started just as slow, as neither team scored until the seven-minute mark. A foul call with seven seconds left sent Tulane guard Kyren Whittington to the line, and she tied the game with a pair of free throws. Temple guards Aleah Nelson and Washington each had good looks to win the game, but couldn’t make them, forcing overtime.

Whittington finished with a game-high 31 points and six assists on 10-of-24 shooting in 50 minutes. She was crucial throughout the matchup, hitting huge shots and willing Tulane to stay in the game.

“Mind over matter,” Whittington said when asked what kept her going. “Of course I was tired, but it’s really about mind over matter and your teammates. The whole program is depending on me when I have that ball in my hands, so I just didn’t have time to be tired.”

Forward Amira Mabry also had a big game for the Green Wave, as she and Whittington combined for all but 20 of their team’s points. Tulane’s second-leading scorer, guard Marta Galic, played just 27 minutes before fouling out late in the fourth quarter, and the Green Wave could not find any support from the rest of their squad.

No other player in a Tulane jersey scored more than eight points.

Temple had the final possession of the first overtime, but Nelson couldn’t make her second attempt at a game-winning shot out of the timeout.

Tulane had its opportunity to come out with the win in the second overtime, as Whittington got a jumper off as time expired, but it was short. East scored a layup in transition off a Tulane turnover with two minutes left to give Temple a one-point lead that they held on to.

The Owls will be back at Dickies Arena Tuesday night to face Rice (17-14) in the semifinals at 9 p.m. EDT, hoping for a shot against the winner of No. 4 UTSA and No. 9 East Carolina on Wednesday night for the conference championship and the right to secure the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

“We have battled all year,” Richardson said. “The reason why we're here today is because they all play together; they play for each other. That's what's been different for us this year — we played for each other. The culture is great. They play for themselves, and they play for Temple University.”

Watch the postgame press conference with Diane Richardson, Tiarra East and Rayne Tucker here.