Temple University Athletics
#1/1 TENNESSEE LADY VOLS TOPPLE #22/21 TEMPLE, 75-50
12.28.05 | Women's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA - #1/1 Tennessee snapped the #22/21 Owls' two-game win streak Wednesday evening at the Liacouras Center, 75-50. Preseason All-America candidate and team-leading scorer Candice Dupree recorded her fourth double-double of the season (17 points and 11 rebounds) in the losing effort while Lady Vols leading scorer Candace Parker scored a team-high 16 points on seven-of-10 shooting . With the victory, Tennessee Head Coach and Hall of Fame inductee Pat Summit comes to within eight win shy of 900. Following a 52-48 Tennessee victory last season in Knoxville, tonight's game was just the second meeting between the programs.
A first half offensive dry spell that lasted more than five minutes proved costly for the Owls. The visiting Lady Vols capitalized on Temple's poor shooting -- 28% for the half -- with a 19-6 scoring spurt starting with just under 13 minutes remaining in the half. Dupree, a preseason All-America candidate and Owls leading scorer, led the Temple scoring attack dropping eight points on three-of-four shooting while grabbing a team-high five rebounds. Senior guard Jennifer Owens scored five points and recorded an assist while slashing senior Khadija Bowens added two points and an assist. Junior forward Kamesha Hairston, averaging 13.0 points per game thus far in 2005, struggled to find a rhythm missing on all seven of her shot attempts.
Summit was forced into offensive action without her team-leading scorer, Parker, for more than six minutes in the first half following the forward suffering an ankle injury. Parker, pouring in 15.6 points per game this season, contributed seven points on three-of-five shooting despite the injury. Prior to her hiatus, Parker was proving to be a defensive struggle for the Owls while scoring the first two Tennessee baskets. Senior guard Shanna Zolman added five points and two assists while senior reserve Tye'sha Fluker scored a team-high eight points and grabbed three rebounds. The Tennessee 14-point intermission advantage was credited to a stingy defense that forced eight Temple turnovers, a 20-13 rebounding edge, and an offense that connected on 43.5 percent (10-for-23) of its attempts.
Although hobbling at certain stretches, Parker appeared to be at 100 percent coming out of the locker room putting her touch on the first two Tennessee baskets in the second half. A short jumper in the lane was followed by an odd-man Lady Vol break ending with a Parker behind-the-back pass to Alexis Hornbuckle for a lay-in. The red-shirt freshman deposited nine points in the second half on four-of-five shooting. The Lady Vols pushed their lead to 19 following a Nicky Anosike basket. Complimenting Parker's inside efforts, Anosike, Fluker, sophomore forward Cybil Dosty, and red-shirt freshman Alex Fuller, all post-players, combined to score 36 points. A Zolman jumper with less than four and a half minutes left ballooned the Tennessee lead to a game-high 32. Zolman finished with 14 points on six-of-nine shooting while dropping five assists.
Head Coach Dawn Staley's offense seemed flustered the entire evening due to a stifling Lady Vols' defense. Hairston, shooting a season-worst two-of-13, and the sniping Owens were kept at bay while sophomore center Lady Comfort added seven points in the second half. Bowens, on five-of-14 shooting, finished with 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists. While the visitors enjoyed a combined 32 points from their bench, Owl reserves failed to the reach the boxscore. Damaging to the Owls' play against the #1 team, Temple committed 15 turnovers while shooting just 33 percent from the field and 54 percent from the charity stripe.
The Owls resume play in 2006 on January 6 at home against new Atlantic 10 affiliate Charlotte. The game, tabbed Dawn Staley Day, is scheduled to tip-off at noon.
