PROVIDENCE, R.I - The opening week of American Athletic Conference men's basketball play came to a close on Sunday night with No. 19/17 Houston and Temple coming away with strong wins. The Owls went to Wichita State and erased a 15-point deficit to force overtime before clinching the win in the extra period, 85-81. Houston remains as one the nation's three undefeated teams (Michigan, Virginia) as the Cougars won their 28
th consecutive game at home with a 90-77 victory over Memphis.
Sunday, January 6
Temple 85, Wichita State 81 (OT)
Senior Shizz Alston, Jr. scored 22 points including the final seven in overtime to help Temple earn a thrilling, come-from-behind win at Wichita State (7-7, 0-2). It was the first American Athletic Conference win for the Owls (11-3, 1-1), who trailed by as many as 15 and still by 11 with 3:35 left in regulation.
Temple never led in regulation after the first three minutes, but held Wichita State scoreless over the final three and a half minutes of the second half to force overtime.
The Shockers led by 13 points at halftime after leading by as many as 15 points twice in the opening period.
Temple used a 12-1 run to make its initial second-half push, and the game had four ties down the stretch, the last at 63-63 before an 11-0 Wichita State run looked like it would put the game away.
The Owls fought back yet again, and then took the lead for good in overtime on a Nate Pierre-Louis layup with 2:39 to go.
Temple forced 22 turnovers while committing only 11, needing that edge to overcome poor free-throw and three-point shooting as well as a nine-rebound deficit.
Alston's 22 points led all Temple players, with Pierre-Louis right behind him at 21 points along with seven rebounds. Quinton Rose added a game-best five steals and four assists to 17 points.
Alani Moore II and J.P. Moorman both came off the bench for eight points and each hit two key three-pointers for the Owls. Ernest Aflakpui added three steals and a career-high three blocks to seven rebounds.
Wichita State senior Markis McDuffie scored a game-high 24 points on 7-for-17 shooting, and went 7-of-8 at the foul line. Samajae Haynes-Jones (22 points), Dexter Dennis (14 points) and Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler (12 points) also reached double figures in the contest, with Poor Bear-Chandler tying his career-best for the second straight game.
No. 19/17 Houston 90, Memphis 77
Junior guard Armoni Brooks had 22 points and hit six 3-pointers and No. 19/17 Houston remained undefeated with a 90-77 victory over Memphis on Sunday night inside the Fertitta Center.
Freshman guard Nate Hinton added 19 points and nine rebounds, senior guards Corey Davis Jr and Galen Robinson Jr each had 11 points and sophomore guard DeJon Jarreau scored 10 points.
The Cougars (15-0, 2-0 American) extended their home-winning streak to a nation-best 28 games. They shot 45 percent, including 50 percent in the second half, and hit 12 of 34 3-pointers.
Kareem Brewton Jr. had 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting, Jeremiah Martin added 16 points and eight rebounds and Kyvon Davenport scored 17 points for Memphis (9-6, 1-1).
The Tigers shot 48 percent but committed 17 turnovers. They saw their four-game winning streak snapped.
After Memphis cut it to 57-51 on Martin's layup with 14 minutes remaining, Houston responded with a 17-4 run to build a 19-point lead on Jarreau's layup with 9:40 remaining. Brooks had nine points in the run. The Tigers got no closer than 13 the rest of the way.
After Brewton's jumper cut Houston's lead to 24-20 with eight minutes left in the first half, the Cougars responded with an 8-0 run to take a 32-20 lead with 6:55 remaining before halftime. Houston led 45-34 at the half.
Four of Memphis' six losses this season have come against ranked teams.
The Cougars had 28 points off 17 Memphis turnovers, outrebounded the Tigers 39-32, including 18-7 on the offensive glass.
UPCOMING GAMES
| WEDNESDAY 1.9.19 |
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Houston |
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Temple |
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7 p.m. |
Philadelphia, Pa. |
Live Stats Live Video
TV:ESPNEWS |
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Tulane |
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USF |
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7 p.m. |
Tampa, Fla. |
Live Stats Live Video
TV:ESPN3 |
| THURSDAY 1.10.19 |
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Cincinnati |
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Tulsa |
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7 p.m. |
Tulsa, Okla. |
Live Stats Live Video
TV:ESPN2 |
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SMU |
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UConn |
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7 p.m. |
Hartford, Conn. |
Live Stats Live Video
TV:CBSSN |
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ECU |
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Memphis |
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9 p.m. |
Memphis, Tenn. |
Live Stats Live Video
TV:ESPNU |
| SATURDAY 1.12.19 |
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USF |
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Temple |
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2 p.m. |
Philadelphia, Pa. |
Live Stats Live Video
TV:ESPNU |
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Tulsa |
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SMU |
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6 p.m. |
Dallas, Texas |
Live Stats Live Video
TV:ESPNU |
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UConn |
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Cincinnati |
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8 p.m. |
Cincinnati, Ohio |
Live Stats Live Video
TV:ESPN2 |
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Wichita State |
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Houston |
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8 p.m. |
Houston, Texas |
Live Stats Live Video
TV:CBSSN |
| SUNDAY 1.13.19 |
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ECU |
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UCF |
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4 p.m. |
Orlando, Fla. |
Live Stats Live Video
TV:ESPNU |
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Memphis |
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Tulane |
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6 p.m. |
New Orleans, La. |
Live Stats Live Video
TV:ESPNU |