IRVING, Texas – Eighth-seeded USF defeated the No. 9 seed Temple, 73-71, in the first game of the 2021 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

 
After surviving a late flurry from the Owls (5-11), the Bulls (9-12) will face No. 1 seed and regular-season champion Wichita State on Friday, March 12 at noon ET/11 a.m. CT on ESPN2. The game will be a rematch of the regular-season finale for both schools, an 80-63 Shocker victory on March 6 in Wichita, Kan.
 
USF gradually built a lead in the second half and led 67-56 with 2:12 remaining before Brendan Barry buried three consecutive 3-point field goals to cut the lead to two with 1:07 remaining, but that was as close as the Owls would come. After a pair of missed USF free throws with five second left, Temple had a chance with the clock running down, but could not get a shot off.
 
USF’s David Collins led all scorers with 23 points, while Michael Durr posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Khalif Battle recorded a double-double for the Owls with a team-high 18 points and 10 rebounds.
 
The Owls started off the game strong, jumping out to a 14-4 lead, while holding the Bulls to just 1-of-9 shooting. After being down 27-17 with 7:00 remaining in the first half, USF scored seven straight points in the next minute and went on to take the lead at halftime, 38-37, on a put-back by Michael Durr at the buzzer.
 
All of the latest information regarding the tournament can be found on Championship Central at TheAmerican.org/mbb.
 
Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship
March 11-14, 2021
Dickies Arena
Fort Worth, Texas
 
First Round – Thursday, March 11
Game 1 – No. 8 USF 73, No. 9 Temple 71
Game 2 - No. 10 Tulane vs. No. 7 Tulsa – 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT – ESPNU
Game 3 - No. 11 UCF vs. No. 6 UCF – 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT – ESPN2
 
Quarterfinals – Friday, March 12
Game 4 – No. 8 USF vs. No. 1 Wichita State – Noon ET/11 a.m. CT – ESPN2
Game 5 – No. 5 Cincinnati vs. No. 4 SMU – 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT – ESPN2
Game 6 – Game 2 Winner vs. No. 2 Houston – 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT – ESPNU
Game 7 – Game 3 Winner vs. No. 3 Memphis – 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT – ESPNU
 
Semifinals – Saturday, March 13
Game 8 - Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5 - 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT – ESPN2
Game 9 - Winner of Game 6 vs. Winner of Game 7 - 5:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. CT – ESPN2
 
Championship Final – Sunday, March 14
Game 10 - Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 9 - 3:15 p.m. ET/2:15 p.m. CT - ESPN