Temple University Athletics
OWLS UPSET #25 RICHMOND BEHIND DUPREE'S CAREER-HIGH 31 POINTS
1.23.05 | Women's Basketball
RICHMOND, VA -- Temple tied a program record with its 12th straight win and knocked off its second ranked opponent of the season by defeating A-10 rival and #25 Richmond, 82-62, on Sunday. Junior Candice Dupree scored a career-high 31 points, including 18 in the first half,and grabbed 12 rebounds as Temple (15-3 overall) remained perfect in the Atlantic 10 (7-0). The Owls shot a season-high 61% from the field and received 16 points each from senior Cynthia Jordan (seven assists) and sophomore Kamesha Hairston. The win also marked the end of Richmond's 13 home game winning streak, previously the fourth-longest home winning streak in the country.
The Spiders gained a 7-0 lead in the opening minutes of the contest, until senior Ari Moore knocked down a three-pointer at 17:25. The Owls began to battle back and a Jordan trey at 14:01 gave Temple at 10-9 lead. The Spiders, however, went on a 10-1 run to pull ahead 19-11 with a lay-up by Kate Flavin at 11:39. Temple's tenacious defense began to put the pressure on Richmond, allowing the Owls to tie the score at 25 with 7:03 remaining in the half. Jordan hit a three-pointer less than a minute later to give Temple a 28-25 lead, one which they would not relenquish. Dupree would score ten more points before the end of the half, to give Temple a 43-33 lead going into halftime. The junior All-American canididate added seven rebounds, two steals and three blocks to go along with her amazing first half performance. Jordan finished the half with ten points, after going two-of three from the three-point line.
Richmond began the second half strong, cutting Temple's lead to six points by 15:56. The offensive swing would be short-lived, however, as Temple turned on the heat, going on a 14-0 run, sparked by a jumper by Hairston at 7:35. The Owls had taken a 21-point lead, 72-51, by the 5:09 mark. Christina Campion ended the Spider scoring drought with a lay-up at 4:32, but it was too little, too late as the Owls walked away with their 12th straight win, 82-62.
Temple's 12-consecutive wins ties a program record, dating back to the 1923-24 season, when the Owls played a perfect 12-0 schedule.
Dupree tallied her eighth double-double of the season and added game-highs of four blocks and three steals. Moore chipped in with six rebounds and three assists, while Lady Comfort and Khadija Bowens came off the bench to grab four and five boards, respectively. Hairston completed the game with one steal, two blocks and five rebounds.
Flavin totaled 20 points and six rebounds to lead the Spiders, while Saona Chapman had 16. Campion finished with 11 points and five boards.
Temple returns home to take on the George Washington Colonials on Thursday at 7 p.m. The Colonials have won six out of the last seven meetings between the two teams.
