Temple University Athletics
OWLS WOMEN WIN BATTLE OF THE BIRDS, CAPTURE SHARE OF FIRST PLACE IN A-10 EAST
1.27.02 | Women's Basketball
A-10 East with the Hawks and St. Bonaventure in what could make for a very interesting February. Temple held a 34-27 advantage at halftime and pushed its lead to as many as 11 points on three different occasions in the second stanza. Saint Joseph's took advantage of a four-minute Owls' scoring drought to come all the way back and reclaim the lead with 5:08 remaining. However, down the stretch Temple made its shots and its free throws to take control of the game and seal the win.
"It was a great game," said Temple coach Dawn Staley. "We knew coming into the situation how it was going to be. They play for 40 minutes. When they went ahead, we kept our composure. We could have just rolled over and died but Stacey (Smalls) was the leader we need her to be and she came up big for us," she continued.
Senior guard Natalia Isaac and senior forward Athena Christoforakis led Temple with 18 points apiece. Isaac and Christoforakis both shot 7-15 from the field and Christoforakis also had a game-high 10 rebounds. Junior guard Stacey Smalls (16) also scored in double figures for the Owls with 12 of her points coming in the second half. Sophomore Christena Hamilton was another key contributor for Temple as she added nine points and five rebounds in 21 minutes.
Susan Moran led Saint Joseph's with a game-high 24 points on 5-21 shooting. Moran did much of her scoring from the free throw line where she was 14-18. Stephanie Graff (11) was the only other Hawk in double figures. Moran (nine) and Graff (nine) led Saint Joseph's in rebounding.
Next up the Owls get to welcome Richmond to the Atlantic 10 with a home game at the Liacouras Center on Sunday, February 3, at 12:00 noon, followed by a home rematch with Saint Joseph's, also at home on February 5. Tip-off for that game is at 7:00 p.m.
