City Six basketball recap: Temple loses second straight one-possession game, Drexel splits against Hofstra, St. Joe’s women squander late lead

One call can shift the momentum of a game. That happened on Sunday during Temple and Wichita State’s game.

Down by two, Temple had the ball with 42 seconds remaining. Jeremiah Williams passed the ball to Damian Dunn coming off a screen, but Dunn didn’t have a shot. He kicked the ball to J.P. Moorman, who took one dribble to his left before being cut off by a Wichita State defender and picking up an offensive foul with 26 seconds remaining.

The Owls fouled the Shockers on the next possession and were playing catch-up after the conflicting charge call. Dunn missed a three-pointer in the final 10 seconds as the Owls fell, 70-67, at Charles Koch Arena.

“I just think late in the game like that ... let them play,” Temple head coach Aaron McKie said. “Let’s not decide the game on a call like that. They made the call. We obviously have to honor it. It is what it is.”

Wichita State (11-4, 7-2 AAC) nailed both of its free throws and made it a four-point game, but Dunn’s aggression kept Temple in it. He fearlessly drove to the basket and converted a three-point play after a foul. He led Temple (4-7, 3-7) with 22 points, making all 12 of his free throws.

Dunn was one-on-one at the top of the key down three with less than 10 seconds left. McKie said the Owls wanted a quick two or even a potential three-point play, but Dunn’s defender sagged off. He took the three-pointer and missed. Khalif Battle got the offensive rebound, but was unable to convert.

“I feel like it was a decent shot,” Dunn said. “It’s just growing pains. I think we’re going to be just fine. We’re still learning each other.”

It was Temple’s second consecutive one-possession loss. The Owls have struggled in late-game situations most of the season, but they were mostly solid against Wichita State. In the final two minutes, Williams hit a clutch bank three to give Temple a lead and Dunn gave the Owls one last lead with 1:07 remaining. Wichita State’s leading scorer Tyson Etienne and his teammates made clutch baskets.

“We played good enough to win,” McKie said. “Other players outside of Etienne made plays for them. That’s what it comes down to.”

Drexel made adjustments in its second contest against Hofstra, but it forgot one detail. The Dragons fixed their turnover issues, but rebounding remained a problem.

Specifically, containing Hofstra’s Isaac Kante. He had 16 rebounds and was big reason why Hofstra had a 15-3 advantage in second-chance points. That proved to be the difference, as Drexel fell, 79-74.

“I think he’s a load,” Drexel head coach Zach Spiker said. “I felt like they started both halves with some activity on the glass. They physically did a better job than us.”

Mate Okros did not play again for the Dragons (8-7, 3-5 CAA), so freshman Xavier Bell earned his second start. Bell was more aggressive and quicker with his decisions. He had 16 points and made 4 of 5 threes. Drexel’s bench has been a weakness, so Bell’s confidence could be a determining factor in the team’s ceiling when Okros returns.

“I thought he was assertive today,” Spiker said. “He caught the ball in rhythm, they, left him open and he made them pay for it.”

T.J. Bickerstaff scored a team-high 18 points, James Butler had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Camren Wynter finished with 14 points.

After Hofstra’s Jalen Ray dropped 30 points on Saturday, Drexel held him to 1-of-11 shooting. It wasn’t enough because five other Pride (12-7, 8-4) players scored in double figures.

“Our defense was not as good today,” Spiker said.

Dayton continued its undefeated start to Atlantic 10 play by sweeping its weekend contest against Philadelphia foes. The latest was a 95-66 win over La Salle.

The Explorers (9-10, 5-7 A-10) put themselves in an early hole. They trailed, 26-9, after the first quarter. Claire Jacobs heated up in the second quarter and so did the Explorers. The 25-point quarter was highlighted by 5-of-6 shooting from three. Outside of those 10 minutes, La Salle shot 3-of-20 from deep.

Jacobs led La Salle with 19 points. Kayla Spruill added 11. Dayton (10-1, 9-0) shot 52% and outrebounded the Explorers, 45-26.

St. Joseph’s controlled the game in the first half against St. Louis, but the Billikens kept pecking away. They had a 10-0 run late in the third quarter to get within one possession, but the Hawks answered.

St. Joe’s wasn’t as fortunate in the fourth. The Billikens scored the first five points of the fourth to take their first fourth-quarter lead. A St. Louis pullup jumper with with 1 minute, 41 seconds left was the difference. It gave the Billikens (6-3, 4-3 A-10) a two-point lead, and the Hawks didn’t get any closer in the 63-60 loss.

The Hawks (5-4, 3-4) shot a game-low 31.3% in the fourth quarter, shooting 42% overall. Alayna Gribble and Kaliah Henderson both scored 12 points.