Temple University Athletics
#19/20 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL UPSET BY STONY BROOK, 58-56
12.7.05 | Women's Basketball
STONY BROOK, NY - Senior All-America candidate Candice Dupree scored 23 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, but it was not enough as #19/20 Temple was upset by host Stony Brook, 58-56. It was the second straight loss for the Owls, who fell to 6-2. The Seawolves, playing a nationally-ranked Division I team for the first time in their program's history, improve to 4-2. Kamesha Hairston was just one point shy of a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds.
Temple fell down early in the game and couldn't seem to get itself back on top. Perhaps it was because they couldn't find an answer for Jessica Smith, who accounted for 17 of Stony Brooks' 28 points in the first half. Maybe it was the Owls' 17 turnovers. Or maybe it was the fact that they shot just 8 for 21 from the field. With Candice Dupree held to just three points, Lady Comfort was the only bright spot for the Owls, scoring a team-high nine points. Temple trailed the unranked Seawolves 28-19 at the break.
The Owls seemed to come out with a new attitude in the second half, with Dupree scoring the first basket just one minute into the new stanza. The Seawolves were refusing to back down however and took a 15 point advantage (41-26) by the 16 minute mark. Temple went on a 8-0 run to climb back within seven points (41-34) by 13:54 but Smith ended the Owl comeback with a jumper at 12:20.
With TU in danger of losing yet another game to an unranked opponent, Dupree took over scoring the next 10 of 12 points to get the Owls within five points (47-42), the smallest gap since the opening minutes of the game. A Hairston jumper cut the lead to three at 8:18 but Mykeema Ford answered with a long trey to put Stony Brook back on top 50-44 at 7:44.
The Owls cooled off a bit and Sidney Orndorff sank a big three to give the Seawolves a 53-45 lead with just under six minutes to go. Dupree took over again to make it a 53-51 game with just under four to go. Ford hit two free throws to make it a four-point game once again and Owens cut it to two but the Seawolves made it four again with two more free throws. Hairston hit a key three to make it 57-56 at 1:26 and the Seawolves failed to score on their next possession, giving Temple a chance to win.
Ashley Morris launched a trey but it failed to drop and Stony Brook got the defensive rebound, giving it the advantage in the final 30 seconds of the game. In a last ditch effort to regain possession, Morris fouled Orndorff with 14 seconds left on the clock and she made just one of two free throws, giving the Owls the ball and a chance to win once more. Morris threw up another three at the buzzer but missed the rim completely and the Seawolves walked away with the 58-56 upset.
Dupree added three blocks and two steals to her heroic performance. She struggled from the free throw line, however, going just 5-for-12 from the charity stripe. As a team, the Owls shot just 7-for-18 from the free throw line. Owens netted a career-high13 points and Comfort chipped in with 11 points.
Smith finished with 21 points before fouling out. Ford contributed 17 points for Stony Brook and Orndorff rounded out the double figure scoring with 11 points.
After a bit of a break, the Owls return home to face their toughest stretch of the season, hosting Georgia, Villanova and Tennessee on the December 19, 22 and 28, respectively.
