Temple University Athletics
Comfort Propels Temple to 11th Straight Win, a 66-54 Victory Over Rhode Island
1.20.07 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 20, 2007
PHILADELPHIA- Behind 26 points and 13 rebounds from junior center Lady Comfort, Temple captured its 11th victory in a row, a 66-54 win over Rhode Island, Saturday afternoon at the Liacouras Center. Following 38 points and a 52.4 percent shooting clip in the second half, the Owls improve to 15-4 overall and 5-0 in the Atlantic 10. The Rams, led by junior guard Safi Mojidi's team-high 27 points, fall to 4-15 overall and a game under .500 in conference play at 2-3.
After taking a 28-20 lead into the halftime intermission, the Owls parlayed a 21-8 run, over the opening seven and a half minutes of the second stanza, into a 49-28 lead that never again came in doubt. Senior All-America candidate Kamesha Hairston, despite shooting just 4-for-15 from the field, added 17 points and 10 rebounds for her eighth double-double this season and 26th consecutive double-figure scoring output. Senior point guard Fatima Maddox also contributed 17 points, on 7-for-14 shooting, and dished a team-high four assists.
The Temple lead blossomed to as much as 22, but would shrink no smaller than the 12 point final as Mojidi really provided the lone scoring threat for the Rams. Junior guard Mia Marcus tallied nine points while sophomore Sierra Cooper added six in 30 minutes of reserve action. Despite shooting 41.8 percent (23-for-55) from the field, better than their 39.1 percent season average, Rhode Island converted just two of their eight long-range attempts while shooting at a 46.2 percent (6-for-13) clip from the foul line.
En route to shooting 36.4 percent from the field in the first half, the Cherry and White offensive output was spearheaded by Comfort. Comfort, shooting 8-for-11 from the field and two-for-three from the charity stripe, poured in a team-high 18 points while collecting 10 rebounds for her second double-double this season. Comfort's 10 rebounds contributed to a 26-8 halftime edge for the Owls.
After the Owls pushed their lead to 12-8 with less than 13 minutes remaining, the Pensacola, Fla. native ran off 12 of the Cherry and White's final 18 points heading into the intermission. Comfort's scoring surge came at an opportune time for seventh-year head coach Dawn Staley as Hairston struggled from the field, shooting just one-for-nine, in scoring two points.
Not to be outdone by Comfort, Mojidi single-handedly kept the Rams in the game after scoring 16 of the team's 20 first half points. The Silver Spring, Md. native, averaging a team-high 19.3 ppg in Atlantic 10 play, tallied the first eight points for the visitors before adding eight of the final 12.
This afternoon's contest marked the return to Temple for two members of the Ram coaching staff. Associate head coach Ervin Monier spent four years (2000-04) as an assistant under Staley while assistant coach Melissa Dunne was a standout player for the Owls from 1998-02.
The Cherry and White will be seeking their 12th straight win when it breaks from Atlantic 10 play on Wednesday night as Big East foe Rutgers comes to the Liacouras Center for a 7:00 p.m. start.
