Temple University Athletics
Morris Shines In Temple Women's Basketball's Narrow 57-52 Loss To NC State
12.1.07 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 1, 2007
PHILADELPHIA- Ashley Morris was a one-woman scoring machine, netting a career-high 28 points, nearly half of her squad's total, but it was not enough, as Temple (3-5) dropped a close 57-52 decision to NC State (8-1) on Saturday afternoon. Morris, who finished 11-for-28 from the field, had 17 of Temple's 25 points at halftime.
Down just one point (53-52) with just 30 seconds remaining, Temple tried desperately to take the lead but two straight failed three-point attempts by Morris and Lindsay Kimmel allowed the Wolfpack to earn its sixth straight victory. Lady Comfort did an admirable job on the boards, grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds to help the Owls out-rebound the Wolfpack, 35-26. The Owls shot a dismal 35.3% from the field, however.NC State scored first in the opening seconds of the game but Temple responded with a 6-0 run to take an early 6-2 lead. The Wolfpack came right back, however, putting together a 12-3 run, making 14-9 with 11 minutes left to play. NC State scored on nearly every trip down the floor, shooting an incredible 70% from the floor in the first 10 minutes of the game. The Wolpack continued to produce but the scrappy Owls were not far behind as Morris fought to keep the game close. Every time NC State scored, it seemed that Morris had a response. The senior netted 10 points in the final 10 minutes of the stanza, including two straight three-pointers, to make it a tight 27-25 game at the break. Alesha Harris was a force under the basket in the first half, diving for loose balls and grabbing two straight offensive boards to help the Cherry and White earn a commanding 18-8 rebounding advantage.
The Owls began the second half with a 6-0 run to give them a 31-27 lead just two and a half minutes into the stanza, their first lead since the opening minutes of the game. NC State would not be silent for long, however, as Shayla Fields got the Wolfpack on the second half board with four straight points, tying the game at 31 just a minute later. The teams kept pace for the next 10 minutes, either tying or trading the lead. A lay-up by Lucy Ellison gave NC State a 46-41 cushion at 8:53 but Temple, more importantly Morris, refused to go away. The Philadelphia native's lay-up at 3:46 made it a one-point game (50-49) and though Fields answered with a trey to give NC State a four point lead just 20 seconds later, Morris hit one of her own to again make it a one-point game, 53-52, with two minutes to play. Leading Wolfpack scorer Khadija Whittington missed two straight free throws on the next possession, give Temple a chance to take the lead with just over a minute to play. The Owls could not seem to get a shot to drop, however. After Fields sank two free throws with just 16 seconds remaining, Temple, down 55-52, needed a three-pointer to tie the game and force overtime. Morris' attempt with 7.8 seconds left was no good but after stealing the ball on the ensuing Wolfpack possession, it seemed Temple would get one last shot at redemption. Luck was not on Temple's side, however, as Morris stepped on the out of bounds line, turning the ball over and forcing Temple to foul to try and keep possession. Fields iced two last free throws with four seconds left for the 57-52 result. Shenita Landry and LaKeisha Eaddy chipped in with nine points a piece and Eaddy added team-highs of four steals and four assists. Fields led two NC State players in double figures with 19 points, six assists and four steals, while Sharnise Beal had 10 points. Temple continues its home stand on Wednesday, hosting MAC opponent Kent State at 7 p.m.
