Temple University Athletics
TEMPLE'S BALANCED OFFENSE EARNS THE OWLS A 61-51 WIN OVER ST. JOE'S IN A-10 QUARTERFINALS
3.5.05 | Women's Basketball
WASHINGTON, DC- Temple's balanced offense allowed the Owls to complete a season sweep of the Saint Joseph's Hawks (7-23) and earn a trip to the Atlantic 10 semifinals as TU defeated the Hawks, 61-51 for the third time on Saturday afternoon at George Washington's Smith Center. Candice Dupree led Temple with 12 points and Kamesha Hairston chipped in with 11 points, as 13 of 14 members of Temple's roster scored at least one point. The #16- ranked Owls improve to 25-3 and extend their winning streak to 22 games. Temple will take on Xavier, who defeated UMass in the quartfinals on Sunday at 2 p.m.
St. Joe's began the game with an 8-4 run to take an early lead by 14:35. Temple began to battle back and Hairston went on a 7-0 run to give Temple a 15-10 lead, a lead that the Owls would never relinquish, by 9:46. Temple's tenacious defense held the Hawks scoreless for nearly 13 minutes, before Faith Schutte scored on a lay- up at 3:59. The Owls had built a 21-14 advantage by this point and finished the half with an 8-2 run to take a 29 -16 lead going into the locker room.
The second half was all Temple as the Owls extended their lead by as much as 27 points, thanks in part to a 19 -4 run before clearing the entire bench. The Hawks were not finished however, as they began to chip away at Temple's lead, getting closer with each passing minute. A three-pointer by Ayahna Cornish at 2:34 put SJU within 11 points (54-43) and two free throws by Maura McBryan cut the lead to just nine points, 56-47 with one minute remaining. Late free throws by Stephanie Hicks, Rachel Marcus and Gwen Browne allowed Temple to take their 17th double digit win of the season, 61-51.
Hairston was TU's leading rebounder with seven, while Lady Comfort tallied a career-high three blocks.
Cornish led all scorers with 19 points and 11 rebounds. She also had a game-high five steals. Whitney Ffrench dished a game-high four assists.
