Temple Remains Unbeaten in A-10 With, 78-71, Overtime Win At Saint Joseph's

Jan. 28, 2007

PHILADELPHIA -Games are often won or lost at the foul line. In a game that saw 47 fouls called between the two teams, success at the charity stripe was crucial. Though Temple made just 37.5% of its free throws in the second half, the Owls (16-5) rebounded in the overtime period to eek out the 78-71 overtime win over the Saint Joseph's Hawks (11-9, 3-3 A-10). Senior All-American candidate Kamesha Hairston netted a game-high 26 points and Lady Comfort added 23 more as the Owls remained perfect in both the Atlantic 10 (6-0) and the Big Five (3-0). Hairston had 13 rebounds to earn her ninth double-double of the season. Temple has now won 14 straight Big Five games.

After suffering a horrid first half, the Owls battled back from as much as a 10 point deficit to tie the contest at 65 and force overtime. With the tide in the Cherry and White's favor, the Owls went on a 8-4 run in the extra period to remain unblemished in Conference play and set themselves up for their third straight Big Five title. Temple was a mediocre 10-21 from the charity stripe but redeemed itself in the extra period with an 11-12 performance.

Temple was dominant on the boards and in the paint, out-rebounding the Hawks, 45-29, and scoring 50 points in the paint to SJU's 26.

The first half was all Saint Joe's from the opening minutes, as the Hawks used a 70% shooting percentage, including 83% from long range, to lead by as much as 10 points. The Owls struggled to hit shots, finishing with just a 39% first half shooting clip. The stanza also featured 16 fouls, including nine called on the Owls.

Jenna Loschiavo got the Hawks started with Saint Joe's signature treys and Ayahna Cornish added two more to make it 5-0 Saint Joe's. Lady Comfort finally got TU on the board with a lay-up at 18:58 but SJU continued to roll, taking a 14-4 lead by the 17 minute mark. Temple struggled to hit inside shots, thanks to the Hawks' stifling defense. Offensively, Saint Joe's just couldn't miss, shooting a blistering 89% from the field in the first seven minutes of the contest. The Owls began to mount a bit of a comeback, thanks to four straight point from Comfort and a three minute Hawk scoreless drought, and closed the gap to four points (18-14) at 11:30. Three straight turnovers by the Owls put the momentum back in Saint Joe's favor and just three minutes later, Temple found themselves down eight points (22-14). Nicole Pittman sparked a 6-0 run that cut SJU's lead to just two (22-20) at 7:28 but the Hawks weren't finished yet. Two straight three-pointers made it 28-22 Saint Joe's just a minute later. The very physical half continued to give the Hawks an advantage and they took a 38-32 lead at the half.

The second half started off much like the first, with four fouls called in the first two minutes. The Owls went to the line 11 times in the first 10 minutes of the stanza but failed to capitalize on the opportunity, making just four of the shots. Comfort netted five points to get Temple going but was quickly whistled for her third and fourth fouls, forcing Pittman to take over. Temple used an 11-8 run to cut the Hawks lead to just two (46-44) at the 12 minute mark. The Owls had three straight opportunities to tie the game but whether it was a foul call or a turnover, Temple just couldn't seem to get it done. The Hawks went scoreless throughout this span but a Cornish trey made it a five point game (49-44) at 10:23. The Cherry and White continued to struggle from the free throw line and a 4-0 SJU run made it 56-48 at 6:30. Comfort re-entered the game and provided just the spark that Temple needed, rattling off six straight points to make it 58-54 at 5:15. A Hairston three-pointer made it a one-point game, 60-59, at 3:52 and the senior All-American candidate put the Owls on top, 63-62, for TU's first lead of the game at 2:48. The celebration was short-lived, however, as the Cherry and White were whistled for their 12 foul of the half, putting Whitney Ffrench on the line to put the Hawks up by one (64-63) at 2:42. With just 25 seconds left to play and the score dead-locked at 65, it seemed the game between these two bitter rivals was destined for overtime. Ffrench held for one last shot, an unsuccessful shot, and the contest went to an extra period.

After working hard to force the extra period, Temple wasn't about to back down. The Owls raced to an 8-0 run to take an early lead. Hairston and Comfort made four straight free throws to begin the extra period, making it 69-65 with 3:34 remaining. Still playing with four fouls, Comfort made it 71-65 with a lay-up with 1:46 to play. Ffrench finally got the Hawks going with a jumper with just over a minute to play and Jen Oyler added to free throws to make it 73-69 with just 45 seconds to play. The four point Temple lead held for the next 30 seconds but three free throws down the stretch gave Temple the 78-71 win.

Fatima Maddox was also in double figures for TU with 10 points. Shenita Landry and Hairston each dished a team-high five assists for the Owls. Comfort was one board shy of a double-double, grabbing nine rebounds, while Jasmine Stone had eight.

Ffrench led three Hawks in double figures with 18 points, while Cornish had 15 points and Oyler scored 11 points and a game-high four blocks. Saint Joseph's finished with a 43.4% shooting percentage after shooting just 29.2% in the second half and 22.2% in the overtime.

Temple returns home to North Broad Street next weekend when it hosts Xavier on Friday, February 2 at 7 p.m. in McGonigle Hall. The Owls return to the Liacouras Center on Sunday, February 4 against Dayton at 2 p.m.

Temple University Athletics

Temple Remains Unbeaten in A-10 With, 78-71, Overtime Win At Saint Joseph's

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