Temple University Athletics
#18/16 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NARROWLY ESCAPES UMES, 60-53
11.30.05 | Women's Basketball
PRINCESS ANNE, MD.- With just 35 seconds to go and University of Maryland Eastern Shore down by just three points, it looked as if the unranked Lady Hawks might pull off the greatest upset in school history. UMES had never hosted a ranked opponent before and it seemed that they were more up to the challenge than #18/16 Temple had anticipated. Temple, known for its great finishes, did not disappoint and iced four free throws down the stretch to eek out the 60-53 win and stay undefeated in the 2005-06 season. The Owls improve to 6-0, their best start since the 1981-82 season, while the Lady Hawks fall to 1-2.
Temple was led by senior All-America candidate Candice Dupree, who netted 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds to go along with two steals and two blocks. Sophomore Lady Comfort scored a career-high 14 points and led the Owls with eight boards. Kamesha Hairston rounded out double-figure scoring with 11 points.
Play was tight in the opening minutes but the Owls went on a 4-0 run to take a 10-7 lead by 15:32. The Lady Hawks kept the pressure on, however, and were able to take a 14-13 lead with a trey by Toni Kennedy at 12:27. A lay-up by UMES leading scorer Kristi Veltkamp made it 16-13 but TU was able to tie the game at 16 with a three-pointer by Jennifer Owens with 11 minutes to go. This would be the Owls' first and last trey of the night, as they went 1-17 from long range. Dupree turned up the heat in the latter point of the half, scoring six points down the stretch to give Temple a 30-24 advantage going into the locker room. Temple shot 50% from the field, led by Dupree's 11, to top UMES, who only shot 37%.
Comfort started off the second half with a jumper to make it 32-24 with 19:51 to go and the Owls were able to extend their advantage by as much as 13 points before UMES began its comeback. The Lady Hawks used a 10-6 run to close the gap to six points (46-40) by 10:30. Temple was able to get a 10-point breathing advantage but allowed the Lady Hawks to get close again due to four straight turnovers by the Owls. As the clock began to wind down, UMES refused to go away and kept creeping closer and closer until two free throws by Jamila Griffith made it 56-53 with 35 seconds remaining. Hairston went 3-3 from the charity stripe to make it 59-53 and one more free throw by Khadija Bowens with eight seconds remaining allowed Temple to come home with an unblemished record.
Bowens netted nine points for Temple, going just 1-4 from the field but 7-9 from the free throw line. She added eight rebounds. Owens dished a team-high six assists.
The Lady Hawks were led by Veltkamp, who narrowly missed a double-double with 17 points and nine boards. DeVaughn Hailey scored 14 points before fouling out.
Temple was outrebounded 47-35 and committed 18 turnovers to UMES' 10.
TU returns home to avenge a 2004-05 loss to Florida on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Liacouras Center.
