It was by the slimmest of margins that Temple held on to the game and its chances at a NCAA at-large bid, relying on GW’s Attila Cosby to miss a potential game-winning free throw with 2.2 seconds left. Temple’s win, combined with Massachusetts’ loss to St. Bonaventure Saturday, clinches a No. 3 seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament for the Owls. The victory was Temple’s fourth straight and 18th overall (18-12, 12-4 A-10).

“Our guys are reaching a stage where much weight is on their backs in terms of knowing that they have to win this game going into the tournament to keep our hopes alive,” Temple head coach John Chaney said. “(GW) could have very easily and should have won this ball game.”

A win for No. 7 seed GW would have been a huge confidence builder for a struggling team heading into Philadelphia’s First Union Spectrum for Wednesday’s A-10 first-round match-up with Duquesne scheduled for 8:30 p.m.

Instead, GW must travel north in the midst of a three-game losing streak, having finished the regular season a disappointing 12-17 and 6-10 in conference play.

“It was anybody’s ball game, but it’s been a microcosm of our season,” GW head coach Tom Penders said. “We’re competitive with everybody, we’re right there, we’re close, but we can’t make the big free throws and close certain games out. Their guys are used to that and they close the games out.”

GW’s Jaason Smith led the Colonials in scoring with 19 points (8-for-12), while Chris Monroe added 18 and seven rebounds. Mike King had 11 points and a career-high nine assists in his Smith Center finale. The Colonials shot 30-for-71 from the field and 38 percent from three-point range (12-for-32).

SirValiant Brown scored 12 points (3-for-10) in his first game of the season against Temple. Brown missed the team’s 91-58 loss last month at the Liacouras Center with a toe injury. The GW sophomore got in early foul trouble and was forced to sit the final seven minutes of the first half.

After Temple’s Alex Wesby missed a wide-open three-pointer with seven seconds left and the Owls ahead 75-74, GW rushed the ball down court. Chris Monroe threw an alley-oop pass to Cosby, who was fouled in mid-air by Wesby.

“I just told them, if you miss, get back,” Chaney said. “Alex (Wesby) got back, but not back quite enough.”

Cosby made the first free throw, tying the game at 75-75, but missed the second after Temple called a time out. Temple grabbed the rebound as regulation expired.

In overtime Greer scored eight of his final 10 points from the free-throw line, and Quincy Wadley added a big three-pointer to lift the Owls. Wadley added 18 points and nine rebounds for Temple.

“Foul shooting was going to win the game for us,” Greer said. “It was all going to come down to the foul line. Everybody’s legs were tired in overtime and foul shots won the game for us.”

The game was tied at 81-81 coming off a timeout when Jaason Smith turned the ball over and proceeded to foul Greer, sending the Temple sharpshooter (14-for-16 from line) to the line with 1:31 remaining.

“Jaason was supposed to flash to the middle and reverse (the ball) to (Greg) Collucci,” Penders said. “He should never have dribbled it.”

Greer converted both shots and hit an outside jump shot on Temple’s next possession with 45 seconds left. Down 85-81, GW’s Collucci rushed a three-point attempt that fell short and into the hands of Temple’s Kevin Lyde (18 points). Lyde made his free throws, extending Temple’s lead to 87-81, a deficit GW could not overcome.

Temple led from the start of the game to the mid-point of the second half until a Cosby jumper gave GW a 61-60 lead, its first home advantage in two games. GW never led in its 64-56 loss to UMass last Saturday.

Smith scored 13 points in the second half to spark the GW offense, which received strong support from Collucci’s three-point attack. GW’s largest lead of the second half came at 70-66 with 5:09 remaining after a Smith basket.

It was Collucci (15 points, 5-for-7 from three-point range) and Monroe who stepped up in the final five minutes of the first half, combining for three straight threes to counter Temple’s back-to-back treys. GW trailed just 35-33 before Owls reserve Mamadou Cellou Barry scored six points as part of a 9-3 run to close the half.

The Colonials played the game without Bernard Barrow, who suffered a high ankle sprain early in the team’s loss to St. Bonaventure last Wednesday. Penders said Barrow is “getting stronger. We think there’s a shot he could play Wednesday.”