Temple Reserve Center Mohamed Keita Delivers Game-Winning Performance Against South Florida
Temple University senior center Mohamed Keita secured a dramatic 79-78 victory for the Owls over the South Florida Bulls on Saturday night, executing two pivotal scoring plays in the final 40 seconds at The Liacouras Center. Keita, who played only six minutes off the bench, tipped in the game-winning basket with approximately six seconds remaining in regulation to cap a chaotic finish.
The decisive sequence began after South Florida had taken a late lead. With 38 seconds on the clock, Keita was fouled and sent to the line. Despite entering the contest with a career free-throw percentage of 37.5%—having made just 9 of 24 attempts over his four-year collegiate career—the 7-foot-1 center calmly sank both shots to give Temple a 77-76 advantage. South Florida responded quickly, reclaiming the lead at 78-77 via a dunk by Izaiyah Nelson with 22 seconds left, appearing to seize momentum back for the visiting Bulls.
Temple’s final possession saw guard Derrian Ford attempt a jumper that missed the mark. However, Keita secured position in the paint and tipped in the miss to restore the Owls’ lead for good. The victory improved Temple’s record to 14-8 overall and 6-3 in the American Athletic Conference, creating a three-way tie for third place with South Florida and Florida Atlantic.
While Keita provided the late-game heroics, sophomore guard Aiden Tobiason led the Owls in scoring with 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting. The game featured 10 lead changes and a strong defensive showing from Temple, which held a high-scoring South Florida offense significantly below its season average. The loss snapped a potential winning streak for the Bulls, who received an 18-point, eight-rebound performance from Nelson but could not secure the final defensive stop against Temple’s reserve big man.
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