Temple University Athletics
TEMPLE EDUCATES BONNIES ON DAWN STALEY SCHOOL DAY
1.13.05 | Women's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA--The day was more about the action off the hardwood, but the Temple women's basketball team put on a clinic on the court anyway. In front of 4,311 school-aged childen the Owls (12-3, 4-0 A-10) handled visiting St. Bonaventure, 85-53, at the third annual Dawn Staley School Day at the Liacouras Center on Thursday afternoon. Junior Candice Dupree recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds in just 21 minutes of action.
An education experience outside the classroom, local schools were treated to a pre-game lineup that included reading and literacy talks from Staley and CBS-3's Kathy Orr. The win was the ninth straight for the Cherry and White, the longest since winning 11 consecutive games from January 3-February 4, 1989.
Sophomore Kamesha Hairston just missed her second double-double in three games, scoring 16 points and grabbing nine boards, in 15 minutes of play.
"She has a good competitive mentality on the floor," Staley said. "We've been successful because she's gotten us extra possessions. She's just tenacious out there."
Freshman Ashley Morris scored a career-high 13 points and senior Cynthia Jordan chipped in with 12 points and a game-high seven assists.
On the court, the game was a learning experience for the visiting Bonnies (6-9, 1-3 A-1). Temple could do no wrong, especially in the first half, and opened up a 56-21 lead going into the locker rooms. The 56 points were a new Liacouras Center record for points in a half, breaking the mark of 55 against Maryland-Eastern Shore on December 30, 2001. After winning the opening tip, junior Jennifer Owens found Dupree for an easy layup just five second into the game. It was a lead the Owls would never relinquish.
Dupree continued to dominate, finishing the half with 15 points and seven rebounds, mixing a variety of low-post moves, hook shots, and put-backs. The All-American candidate also found her teammates once SBU began to double-team her midway through the stanza. Morris recorded a new career high before halftime, scoring eight points.
As a team, the Owls were nearly unstoppable. They shot 62% (24-for-39) from the floor and an even more impressive 64% (7-for-11) from beyond the arc.
The second half was more of the same as the Cherry and White opened up as much as a 43-point lead on a senior Khadija Bowens layup with 13:20 to play. Staley emptied her bench for the rest of the contest, allowing her younger players to gain confidence.
"It feels good," Dupree said. "It gives everyone a chance to play. I think it's a confidence builder for some of our players."
Still waiting to crack the Top 25 for the first time in program history, Staley shrugged off trying to impress the voters. "We have to continue to beat teams, win the games were supposed to win and beat the teams that some people think we shouldn't beat. I think Richmond and George Washington will pose that for us," the head coach said. "Being ranked will be great for our program, but we just have to continue to get better."
It was a record breaking performance for the hosts, who connected on 11-for-17 from three-point land for the game, setting a new program mark for percentage (64.7%) from long range. The 11 trifectas fell one short of the all-time mark, set against Rutgers on March 3, 1994 and Vanderbilt on December 9, 2001.
St. Bonaventure did not place a singe player in double figures and was led by junior Stefanie Collins' nine points.
The Owls return to action on Monday with an Atlantic 10 and Big 5 matchup at La Salle. A win would clinch at least a tie for the City Series title. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.
"I know La Salle is a legitimate basketball team," Staley said. "We're not taking them lightly at all. Playing for the Big 5 title is something we'd like to have for bragging rights."
