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Memphis edges Temple in OT

Feb 23, 2014 - 6:32 AM Memphis, TN (SportsNetwork.com) - Shaq Goodwin dominated on the inside with 20 points, and No. 22 Memphis survived a shorthanded Temple team with an 82-79 overtime decision at FedExForum.

Goodwin, who had several dunks, including a few of the alley-oop variety, turned in the post for a power jam with 42.5 seconds left in OT to boost the Tigers to an 80-77 edge.

Quenton DeCosey, though, scored on a putback after Dalton Pepper missed a 3- point shot. That had the Owls within a point with 31.2 on the clock.

Michael Dixon Jr. then made two from the charity stripe with 17.4 seconds left, but Pepper failed to draw a foul after a pump-fake move in 3-point territory resulted in a wild shot.

Austin Nichols had a chance to seal the outcome with 6.8 seconds remaining, but the freshman missed the 1-and-1 attempt. DeCosey's 3-point shot from straight away clanked off the rim as time expired.

Nichols tallied 17 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocks for the Tigers (21-6, 10-4 AAC), who won for the fifth time in six games.

"We had some great defensive possessions but it was not enough because of how well they played. Austin Nichols deserves a lot of credit for his performance," Memphis coach Josh Pastner said.

Will Cummings had 24 points, DeCosey 23 and Pepper 20 for the Owls (7-19, 2-12), who have dropped all seven of their conference road games.

Temple forward Anthony Lee, who came into the game averaging 13.8 points and 8.8 rebounds, sat out for the second time in three contests due to a toe injury.

Memphis led by eight midway through the first half and by as many as 11 in the opening 20 minutes. Temple was within 40-32 at the break. The Tigers converted several alley-oop dunks in the half, and Goodwin's highlight-reel 1-handed throwdown off a pass from Joe Jackson opened the second half.

The Owls finally went back in front at 61-59 at the midway point on Pepper's corner 3-pointer.

Goodwin flexed his muscle inside again later in the half and showed his quickness. He intercepted an outlet pass and took another feed from Jackson for an alley-oop dunk to complete the sequence and tie the game at 65, this after the Owls held a 63-59 lead.

It was a back-and-forth contest for the remainder of regulation. Pepper tied it at 74 with a 3-point play with 1:13 left. Both teams had a chance to win near the end of regulation. First, DeCosey and Cummings missed shots after a crazy sequence. Then, Nicholas was off the mark at the buzzer on a long attempt at the buzzer.

"We had some miscues at the end and threw a couple balls away," Temple coach Fran Dunphy said. "We could have also made a better decision on that last shot in regulation. We just forced it a little bit there. Then, we had our chances in overtime to win."

Down 78-77, Temple had a chance to move in front, but DeCosey had a turnover, Cummings missed a 3-point shot and Devontae Watson couldn't convert a jumper.

Game Notes

The Tigers swept the season series from the Owls. On Jan. 11, Memphis earned a 79-69 win in Philadelphia. Memphis has won the last four meetings. Temple's last win over the Tigers came Nov. 17, 2000 ... Dixon and Jackson each had 12 points, while Geron Johnson scored 10 for the Tigers, who shot 57.4 percent from the field ... The Owls, who were facing their fourth straight ranked opponent, were 11-of-31 from 3-point range.