Temple earned its share of the AAC regular season title because ‘the energy is just different’

About a month ago, Temple’s season could’ve gone either way. Bunches of wins followed multigame skids. The glass-half-full approach paid off for head coach Diane Richardson, however, and the Owls captured a three-way share of the American Athletic Conference regular season title with a 74-53 victory over Florida Atlantic on Wednesday night.

It would be Temple’s first regular season conference championship since the 2007-08 season, Dawn Staley’s final season as head coach, when the Owls captured a share of the Atlantic 10 championship.

In Wednesday’s win, Temple put together a complete team performance, specifically on defense, and forced 28 Florida Atlantic turnovers. Offensively, the equal-opportunity offense was in full effect, as four Temple players scored in double figures.

Richardson’s first season at Temple was marred by injuries and off-court issues, and the Owls finished 11-18 and with just eight players on the team. This season, the Owls went 19-11 (13-5 AAC) . Before Wednesday’s tipoff, Temple had already locked in the No. 3 seed in the for AAC tournament, which begins Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas. Thanks to its double bye, Temple’s first game will be a quarterfinal matchup on Monday night (9 p.m., ESPN+), with an opponent to be determined.

» READ MORE: Temple athletics receives the largest gift in its history

“The energy is just different in the locker room,” point guard Aleah Nelson said postgame. “A year ago, we were getting asked the same questions. We were just tired of hearing about us having eight players. It’s definitely a more close-knit team this year, and having more weapons and people just makes things a lot easier. So a lot more fun this year.”

Rayne Tucker has been the much-needed consistent center for the Owls. The Towson transfer tallied 10 points and seven rebounds against Florida Atlantic. Defensively, Tucker also finished with four steals and three blocks.

» READ MORE: Temple has taken a big step forward this season. Rayne Tucker is a big part of that.

Richardson’s top priority has been defense, and her Owls finished the season in style. Those 28 Florida Atlantic turnovers? They led to 23 of Temple’s points. Florida Atlantic had little time to breathe on offense, which led to a dysfunctional performance.

“They came in knowing we needed to play defense today, and it’s been our identity in the second half of the season,” Richardson said. “Today, defense won us a regular-season championship. We’re going to continue that defensive wave when we head down to Texas. We’re gonna do the same thing.”

While Tarriyonna Gary consistently has featured the starting lineup in conference play, she has been one of the more inconsistent Owls on the score sheet — particularly from beyond the arc. However, the senior guard might be the best pure shooter on Temple’s roster. When Gary is on, the Owls’ offense becomes more dynamic and tougher to defend. Gary has scored at least 16 points in three of the final four games to finish regular season, including a 20-point performance against Florida Atlantic. If Temple makes a deep tournament run, it will bolstered by the offense Gary can provide.

» READ MORE: Perennial Top 25 ranked Oklahoma highlights Temple’s 12-game football schedule for 2024