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AAC Basketball: Temple knocks off Memphis to get second AAC win

By Andrew Nostvick

Jan 18, 2017; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Temple Owls head coach Fran Dunphy reacts from the bench against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the second half at Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats won 81-74. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 18, 2017; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Temple Owls head coach Fran Dunphy reacts from the bench against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the second half at Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats won 81-74. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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A strong second half helped Temple power through Memphis on their way to their second AAC basketball conference victory of the season.

It hasn’t been an easy season for the Temple Owls, especially in conference play. However, the Owls got their second AAC win of the season on Wednesday night at home when they defeated Memphis 77-66.

Related Story: K.J. Lawson's 28 leads Memphis to OT win over Houston

Temple scored 47 points in the second half to take control. The Owls found themselves in a back-and-forth battle during the first half, but they went into halftime tied 30-30.

Memphis struggled to score in the first half, despite leading by seven at one point. Markell Crawford led the Tigers in scoring during the half with 11 points on 5-for-10 shooting. Crawford would finish the game with 15 points.

The rest of the team, however, shot 6-of-23 from the field. The Lawson brothers combined for nine points in the first half. Dedric Lawson had 13 points, while K.J. scored had only four.

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Shizz Alston Jr. continues to be a bright spot for the Owls. He finished the night as the leading scorer in the game with 22 points. Daniel Dingle had 16 for the Owls, while Mark Williams scored 15.

Alston has been playing his best basketball as of late. He scored 25 in back-to-back games against both Tulsa and Cincinnati.

The chances of climbing back to the top of the standings are slim, given Temple’s 2-6 conference record. However, a strong win over a top five in conference team can be a momentum-builder.

The Owls do have close losses to both Tulsa and Cincinnati. They’ll certainly play those two again, as well as Memphis, Houston, and SMU. Temple goes on the road Saturday to take on the Houston Cougars.

Meanwhile, Memphis finds itself in a bad spot. The Tigers drop even further behind the rest of the top five thanks to their third conference loss.

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The loss certainly affects Memphis’ chances of winning the regular season conference title, especially with the strong play of both Cincinnati and SMU. There’s still a good month and a half left in the season, but the Tigers cannot afford to have losses like the one they had against Temple. Memphis will take on East Carolina on Saturday.