Hysier Miller delivers again for Temple to beat UTSA in first round of AAC Tournament

FORT WORTH, Texas — About a month ago, Temple’s men’s basketball team really needed a win.

The Owls had lost 10 straight, one shy of tying a 50-year-old program record. They escaped that infamy, though, beating Texas San Antonio, 83-77, behind a 20-point outing from Hysier Miller on Feb. 18 at the Liacouras Center. In the regular-season finale three days ago, the junior’s heroics lifted them to victory over the Roadrunners yet again.

The circumstances may be a little different, but just like on that clear, cold February day, Temple really needed a win on Wednesday afternoon at Dickies Arena.

And Miller and the Owls delivered once more as they beat UTSA, 64-61, in the first round of the AAC men’s tournament.

“During that [10-game skid] … it’s ‘are we getting better?’ That’s how we judged it. And I thought we really were in certain circumstances,” Temple first-year coach Adam Fisher said. “It’s these guys. I mean, they’re making big-time plays. They’re talking. They’re having fun — it’s a game. So I’m really proud of our guys. I think they figured it out.”

Miller, just one of two rotation players left from the Aaron McKie era, has been a bright spot for the Owls (13-19) in an otherwise transitional season. The Neumann Goretti grad leads the team in scoring and assists, and is on the court for nearly every minute of every game. While his 11 points in Wednesday’s win may not be eye-popping, he masterfully facilitated Temple’s offense, to the tune of five assists and to the benefit of players like Zion Stanford. The freshman from West Catholic nearly matched his career high with 19 points, while Jordan Riley added 12 points and seven boards.

Stanford made plenty of big plays, but possibly none bigger than his block with 4 minutes, 25 seconds left. He was then fouled on the other end, but coolly sank two free throws to stretch the Owls’ lead to 57-54 — much slimmer than what was once a comfortable Temple lead 10 minutes earlier.

Nearly all the scoring was at the free throw line down the stretch; both teams went over four minutes without a bucket from the field before Stanford broke through with a layup, extending Temple’s lead to 61-56 with 1 minute, 56 seconds left. The Roadrunners never got within three points again. Temple advances to face No. 6 seed SMU at 9 p.m. Thursday.

“You’ve got to have the trust in your guys that are out there,” said Fisher, who added that he’s maintaining his focus on the Owls, and not the U.S. Integrity probe into unusual gambling activity surrounding the program. “I thought that we had some really good looks that we knocked down in the first half, but as the game goes on, you get a little bit more tired. I believe in these guys. They fought; they stayed together. I think during those stretches sometimes, you look at the looks. Were they contested or uncontested shots? And we liked the shots that we were getting.”

At first, Temple picked right up where it left off over the weekend. It opened the game on a 13-3 run as UTSA (11-21) went without a field goal for the first 4:10. But the Roadrunners showed fight, particularly on the offensive glass, out rebounding the Owls, 45-40, including a 13-10 edge in offensive boards.

UTSA slowly began to heat up from the field, drilling its first three of the game to cut its deficit to 21-16 with 8:44 left in the half. But the Roadrunners went cold for nearly six minutes, while Temple used a 12-1 run, highlighted by Matteo Picarelli and Shane Dezonie threes from the left corner, to stretch its lead back to double figures. That run was enough to break the Owls’ late drought of their own, one snapped by a Miller layup at the buzzer to give his team a 35-21 halftime lead.

“I thought we were really connected,” Fisher said. “Your preparation — we know what they’re going to do; they know what we’re going to do. And this is a team that really likes to shoot the three, a lot like us. So I thought we did a great job of guarding the three and just our activity.”

It took a bit to get going after halftime as UTSA cut its deficit to 10 points, but Steve Settle got Temple on the board at the 17:08 mark. From there, Miller assisted threes by Stanford and Dezonie as the Owls’ lead grew more comfortable.

But not for long.

UTSA used a 13-0 run over nearly four minutes to cut its deficit to 45-44. The Roadrunners shot 43.5% in the second half, 31.7% overall. Temple, meanwhile, hit just nine buckets in the second half en route to a 36.1% shooting percentage. Riley finally broke through with a layup, but the Roadrunners tied it on a three by Christian Tucker with 6:39 left. Tucker led the Roadrunners with 15 points; P.J. Carter had 12, while leading scorer Jordan Ivy-Curry missed the game with an arm injury.

Temple didn’t blink, however, as Riley converted an and-one seconds later to give his team a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

It’s the first conference tournament win for anyone on the Owls’ roster — and the program’s first since 2018. So is it a new favorite memory for Miller?

“I’ll say my biggest game is tomorrow night,” he said. “But I’ll take it. I’m grateful for it, but definitely got to shift our focus for the quick turnaround.”