Temple University Athletics
JORDAN SINKS TREY AT BUZZER TO GIVE TU 66-63 WIN OVER UMASS
2.24.05 | Women's Basketball
AMHERST, MA - Cynthia Jordan only hit one field goal in the entire game but made it one to remember as the senior sank a trey at the buzzer to give #16 Temple a 66-63 win over UMass on Thursday night at the Mullins Center. The Owls (23-3, 15-0 A-10) were able to extend their winning streak to 20 games and stay undefeated in the A-10 with just one more game remaining in the regular season. With its 23rd win, Temple breaks the school record for most wins in a season, previously held by the 1988-89 team who won 22 games. Candice Dupree scored a team-high 16 points and grabbed eight boards to lead Temple. Ari Moore and Kamesha Hairston chipped in with 14 points a piece to round out the double figure scoring. Hairston also tallied a game and career-high nine steals.
The Minutewomen jumped out to an early lead, going on a 8-0 run to begin the game and holding the Owls scoreless for the first three minutes. Dupree got Temple on the board with a lay-up at 16:50. The Owls were able to get within two points at 13:38 but UMass proceeded to go on an 11-3 run to open up at 21-11 lead by 10:53. Temple battled back and managed to tie the game at 23 points with 4:47 remaining. The tie game would be shortlived, however, as UMass went on a 7-3 run to end the half and take a 30-26 lead going into the locker room. This is just the sixth time all season that Temple has gone into the half trailing.
The Owls began the second half with a 13-3 run, sparked by a jumper by Hairston at 19:22, allowing Temple to take a 39-33 lead by 15:09. This was the first time that the Owls had been on top the entire game. Just as Temple had done in the first half, UMass battled back to tie the score at 41 with 12:14 remaining. The teams traded a one-point lead for the next five minutes until a Katie Nelson trey gave UMass a 50-46 advantage at 7:45. Play remained intense for the rest of the half, with the Owls fighting to keep the score within two points. Hairston scored a lay-up with two minutes remaining to tie the score at 61. Jordan iced two free throws to give Temple a 63-61 lead with 1:30 remaining but Pam Rosanio tied the game at 63 with a lay-up just 15 seconds later. The next minute looked a lot like the final minute of the Xavier nailbiter just a few weeks ago. Hairston dribbled down the court and attempted to win the game with a three-pointer with 42 seconds to go. She missed and Tamara Tatham picked up the rebound for UMass, passing the ball to point guard Nelson. Nelson went up for a lay-up, which was blocked by Moore with just 15 seconds remaining. With just five seconds on the clock, Hairston inbounded the ball at center court to a cutting Jordan. Jordan dribbled down to the bottom right-hand corner and sent up a trey as the buzzer sounded, allowing Temple to squeak out another win.
Jordan dished a game-high four assists and scored seven points, thanks to a perfect 4-for-4 performance from the charity stripe. Jennifer Owens scored nine points, going 3-for-5 from long range.
Rosanio led all scorers with 20 points, while Brooke Campbell netted 17, including 12 in the second half. Tatham rounded out the double-figure scoring with 10 points.
Temple looks to finish the A-10 regular season with a 16-0 record and earn the Big 5 title on Sunday when it travels to Saint Joseph's for a city series match-up at 2 p.m. The game can be seen live on CN8.
