Heartbreak in the Big 5: Owls lose to Hawks on buzzer- beater

PHILADELPHIA – With less than a second on the clock and down two, St Joe’s guard Duece Jones II found himself with the ball. What followed was heartbreak for the Owls.

After a layup from Derrian Ford gave the Owls a five-point lead to make it a five-point game with 1:27 left on the game clock, all the Owls had to do was hang on.

Unfortunately, Jones proved himself to be a thorn in their side in crunch time, as he cut, then tied the game with only 33 seconds.

Jordan Mason drew a foul off of Jones, and sank both free throws, which ended up being an uncommon time where fouling pays off, as it stopped the clock with 15 seconds, and gave St Joe’s one final possession with the shot clock off.

And with about two seconds left, Jones pump-faked, took the shot, and drained it just before the buzzer went off.

It was initially ruled a two-point shot, but after review, it was deemed a three-pointer, sealing the game as the Owls lost a heartbreaker 70-69 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena Saturday night.

It was a shot that left both head coach Adam Fisher and Ford giving credit to Jones, but sealed the Owls’ fate with a fourth-place spot in the 2025 Big 5 Classic.

Despite the loss, Fisher said post-game that he was pleased with the fight the Owls showed.

“Disappointed with the result of this game, but I’m really proud of our effort and energy in the second half.”

The Owls actually did outscore the Hawks 44-37 in the second half, but it was a rough first half where they were down by eight that helped decide the outcome of the game.

Temple shot just 30% from the field and 21% from the three in the first half, while allowing the Hawks to shoot 38%.

The inspiration for the Owls’ second-half surge was sparked by Fisher doing something he normally doesn’t do, and really digging into the players.

“We don’t want him to have to do that to get us going,” said Ford. “But sometimes that’s what it takes, and that’s what we had to do, and we’re thankful.”

Ford made a big impact in the fight for third place in the Big 5 Classic. The senior guard put 27 points on the board, with 11 of them coming off free throws, and paired that with four rebounds.

Transferring over from Arkansas State, this was his first taste of the Big 5 action. When asked postgame about it, Ford had this to say.

“The Big 5 is an amazing event. I was proud to be a part of it. I’ve been having a great time and feel, you know, getting adjusted and been the best season I could ask for so far.”

Ford is having a great season so far in his first year in North Philly. Coming into the game, his 16.3 PPG is sixth in the AAC, and will go up with the 27 he scored tonight.

Fan favorite, Gavin Griffiths had himself another great game, putting up his sixth double-digit scoring night this season. All of Griffith’s attempts came from deep, where he went 5-11, to give him 15 on the night.

Griffiths continues to fill the role of an athletic guard/ forward hybrid who can fill exactly what Fisher needs for the team.

“I think Gavin’s been a great addition. He can really stretch the floor. He can put pressure on the defense, too. He’s got great bounce defensively. He’s got great size and length.”

However, outside of these two, there wasn’t much production, with no other player scoring more than seven points on the night.

Defensively, the Owls had one of their better games this season, something that Fisher has really worked to improve following last year.

They held the Hawks to 39% from the field, forcing 12 turnovers with six steals and eight blocks.

Despite the defensive pressure, Jones still managed to beat them when it mattered.

Temple was able to keep the reigning A-10 rookie of the year relatively quiet until that last minute and a half, where Jones scored eight points during that stretch to propel the Hawks to victory.

Sometimes, the dominoes don’t always fall your way, something the Owls learned tonight as they drop to 4-5, and are now under .500 for the first time since the 2023-2024 season. They have dropped three straight after starting off 4-2.

The Owls return home to North Broad Street on December 9, at 7:00 p.m., against the Division II Georgian Court Lions.