Temple University Athletics
Second Half Surge Propels Owls past Georgia Tech, 76-62
11.20.06 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 20, 2006
PHILADELPHIA - Behind a program-best 65.2% (15-23) shooting clip in the second half, the Owls improved to 2-0 and opened their 2006-07 home schedule with a 76-62 win over Georgia Tech Tuesday night at the Liacouras Center. Senior forward Kamesha Hairston led a 48-point charge in the second half with 17 of her season and game-high 23 points on eight-for-17 shooting. Junior forward Janie Mitchell posted a team-high 18 points and eight rebounds in the Yellow Jackets' first loss of the season. With the Owls first win over Georgia Tech since February 23, 1990, seventh-year head coach Dawn Staley improves her home-opening record to 6-1.
Despite zero-for-six first half shooting from senior guard and team-leading scorer Stephanie Higgs (21.3 ppg), the visiting Yellow Jackets, on the shoulders of Mitchell's team-high 10 points and three rebounds, carried a 31-28 lead into the intermission. The Cherry and White, hampered by 12 turnovers in the first 20 minutes, were offensively-paced by senior guard Fatima Maddox's 10 points on two-for-two shooting from behind the arc, including a trey at the horn cutting the Yellow Jacket lead in half. Senior center Lady Comfort added seven points on three-for-five shooting from the field while sophomore forward Shenita Landry swiped a team-high four boards. In reserve duty for the Ramblin' Wreck, sophomore guard Jacqua Williams contributed six points in three minutes. Hairston, coming off a team-high 18 point performance at Drexel on Friday night, dropped six points on three-of-seven from the field.
The Temple offense answered the bell in the opening seven minutes of the second stanza with a low-post attack as Comfort powered her way to nine of the team's first 15 points. The Owls pushed the lead to seven, at 48-41, following junior Ashley Morris' lay-up with 11:10 left. Following a three-point play by Higgs, the old-fashioned way, that cut the Cherry and White lead to one at 53-52 with just over four and a half minutes remaining, Hairston and Maddox combined for 18 of the Owls' final 23 points en route to the win.
In the winning effort, Comfort finished with 16 points on seven-for-nine shooting while Maddox dropped a career-high 18 points on five-for-ten shooting, including a perfect six-for-six from the charity stripe. Freshman guard LaKeisha Eaddy added eight points and five of the Owls' 17 dimes.
In the loss, Higgs collected 11 points on a dismal four-for-12 performance from the field while junior guard Chioma Nnamaka tallied 12 points and four rebounds.
The Cherry and White will look to win their third straight decision Friday evening when they take to the road at Bowling Green at 7:00 p.m.
