Temple University Athletics
Owls Roll in 88-70 Win Over Miami (OH)
12.17.06 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 17, 2006
PHILADELPHIA - All-America candidate Kamesha Hairston led four double-figure scorers for the Owls en route to an 88-70 win over Miami (OH) Sunday afternoon at the Liacouras Center. Redshirt junior guard Sarah Hull led all RedHawks with 13 points on four-of-six shooting in the losing effort. After posting a season-best 88 points, the Cherry and White improve to 5-4 overall while the RedHawks fall to 5-6.
Hairston, before posting her fourth double-double (23 points, 13 rebounds) in the last five outings, set an early offensive tone for the Owls as the senior guard scored four quick points on a 9-0 run just two minutes into the first half. The Temple lead stretched to as much as 19 points with just over three minutes remaining following junior forward Nicole Pittman's lay-in. Pittman, contributing to 62 points in the paint for the Cherry and White, tallied a career-best 13 points and eight rebounds. On the opposite block, junior center Lady Comfort poured in 20 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field. While committing just five turnovers and shooting at a 47.7 percent clip from the field, the Owls carried a 23-point advantage, at 50-27, into the intermission.
The offensive energy for the Cherry and White proved consistent as the second stanza showed no signs of a slowdown. In shooting 47.4 percent for the game, the Owls boasted 10 different scorers in the points column while dropping a season-high 24 assists as a team. Freshman guard Kristie Watkins-Day posted a career-best 11 points on four-of-nine shooting while junior sharpshooter Candice Borrows matched her season-high with seven points in 18 minutes of action. With just under 14 minutes to play, the Cherry and White pushed their lead to a game-high 32 points after freshman guard LaKeisha Eaddy found Pittman for another basket. Eaddy, carrying the point guard responsibilities for seventh-year head coach Dawn Staley, dished a career-high seven assists.
The visiting RedHawks got as close as 17 points at the 2:32 mark following freshman forward Chanell Ridley's lay-in. As the RedHawks' leading scorer, redshirt junior guard Amanda Jackson (15.4 ppg) failed to find her rhythm in shooting a dismal four-of-11 from the field en route to 10 points. Junior forward Jaclyn Leininger, coming off back-to-back double-double performances, tallied 12 points on five-of-10 shooting while grabbing five caroms.
The Cherry and White complete their season-high four game homestand Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. against Mid-American Conference foe Western Michigan.
