Temple University Athletics
#24/25 OWLS SURVIVE TOUGH GW DEFENSE TO TAKE 13TH STRAIGHT, 72-64
1.27.05 | Women's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA -- #24/25 Temple (16-3, 8-0 A-10) survived a tough George Washington (12-6, 5-2 A-10) squad to take home its 13th straight win and stay undefeated in Atlantic 10 play, 72-64, Thursday night at the Liacouras Center. The Owls, who have lost six out of the last eight meetings in the series, were led by Cynthia Jordan, who scored a game-high 26 points, hitting four-of-five three-pointers. Candice Dupree earned her ninth double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Kamesha Hairston came up big on the defensive end with 10 defensive boards to compliment her 13 points. With their 13th straight victory, the Owls broke the 81-year-old school record for most consecutive wins, set by the 1923-24 team which played a perfect 12-0 season.
Temple jumped out to an early lead, holding the Colonials scoreless until a jumper by GW leading scorer Anna Montanana broke the scoring drought at 18:25. TU continued to shine, taking a 24-8 lead by the 10-minute mark. The Colonials' defense began to tighten and forced a complete Temple offensive meltdown. The Owls did not score on their next 18 possessions and turned the ball over 11 times, allowing GW to go on a 19-0 run and take a 25-24 lead with 2:24 remaining in the half. Jordan and Morris hit two straight threes to give Temple a 30-27 lead at the intermission. Despite earning 15 first-half turnovers, the Owls shot 48% from the field.
Jordan hit her third trey to begin the second half, giving the Owls a bit of a cushion (33-27) at 19:46. Temple struggled to keep a significant lead and allowed the Colonials to get within one point at the 11:14 mark. The Owls went on a 6-0 run to give themselves a bit of breathing room and regained a 10-point lead with 5:06 to play. As much as TU tried to shake the Colonials they would not back down and got within five points (66-61) with just over one minute remaining. Jordan, just as she has done time and time again, came through for the team in the final seconds, stealing the ball from Montanana and sinking a lay-up to allow the Owls to put away a 72-64 win.
Jordan led Temple with five assists and two steals, while Dupree blocked three shots.
Montanana led the GW charge with 22 points and eight boards, while Jessica Simmonds chipped in with 20 points. Kimberly Beck, who leads the Atlantic 10 in assists, dished six helpers and earned four steals to go along with her seven points.
The Owls continue their Atlantic 10 home schedule with a television game against Xavier on Sunday, January 30 at noon. The game will be televised live on Comcast Sports Net as part of the A-10 Television package.
