FORT WORTH, Texas – Diane Richardson believed going into Temple’s American Athletic Conference tournament quarterfinal matchup against Charlotte that her team was one of the best in the league.

The fourth-seeded Owls looked the part in a dominant showing against the 49ers Monday at Dickies Arena, starting the game with lockdown defense that fueled a strong offensive output and an 11-point halftime lead.

Coming out of the break has been a struggle for the Owls this season, but Monday proved to be completely different. Temple held Charlotte to just 27% from the field in a decisive third quarter while running their equal opportunity offense for which they’ve come to be known.

The highlight of the period saw Tiarra East throw an alley-oop to Anisa Rivera, with the forward finishing the layup attempt as the entire Temple bench jumped out of their seats with a win on the horizon. The Owls rode that momentum to a 65-35 win.

Temple can now set its sights on a semifinal rematch against Rice, the same program that knocked Temple out of last year’s tournament, Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in a game that will be streamed on ESPN+. The ninth-seeded Rice Owls upset UAB Sunday and then knocked off the tournament’s top seed, UTSA, Monday just before Temple turned aside Charlotte.

“I thought it was a hard-fought game,” Richardson said. “We followed the scout. I’m really proud of our young ladies that followed the scout, and we came out with the win.”

Temple forward Amaya Oliver led the Owls with 12 points and 13 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Tarriyonna Gary scored 11 points, knocking down three shots from beyond the arc, while Jaleesa Molina finished with 10 points and six rebounds.

The Owls' fast start relied on early defensive intensity, with Temple's strong on-ball defense forcing difficult shots late into the shot clock that contributed to the 49ers’ abysmal 3-for-16 shooting from the field.

On the offensive end, Temple found ways to work into the paint for points. This also drew the 49ers’ defense in and allowed easy outside shots from Gary, who finished the quarter with a pair of threes as the Owls led, 18-6.

“We knew our defense was going to carry us today, but what we wanted to add to that was to get out and start strong,” Richardson said. “We jumped out and scored some baskets and stopped them. And that was our game plan to start strong but to play some tough defense.”

The same approach translated into the second quarter for the Owls, with Oliver working her way inside for five points in the quarter.

Temple continued to be just as strong on defense, but Charlotte showed signs of breaking down the Owls, with Alexis Andrews scoring five points in the quarter. Despite this, Temple outrebounded the 49ers and strolled into halftime with a 28-17 lead.

“Going into the locker room, we just knew we had to throw the first punch just like we did in the first quarter,” Oliver said. “Even when shots aren’t falling, we always have to rebound. We emphasize offensive rebounding, which is where I came in and made sure I was a presence on the boards.”

Out of halftime, Temple did just that, continuing to force steals and getting out in transition to score. Three Temple players scored five or more points in the quarter, with Molina scoring six as the Owls outscored Rice by 25-9 in the period to start running away with the game.

By the fourth quarter, Temple was unloading the bench, wanting to rest starters ahead of Tuesday night’s game.

The 49ers as a team shot just 21% from the field, the lowest mark by a Temple opponent this season. Charlotte's leading scorer, Hayleigh Breland, went scoreless and shot 0-for-13 shooting from the field in the loss.

Temple looked dominant on the glass, outrebounding the 49ers by a 56-36 margin, with eight players having four or more rebounds.

Tuesday will be a shot at redemption for Temple.

“Obviously Rice is really good and they did this last year,” Richardson said. “They are playing really hard. We’ve got to be able to come out and follow our scout as well. We want to get to the championship, and we want to win the championship.”

Watch Monday’s postgame press conference here.