Temple University Athletics
Women's Basketball Fouls Out against #3/6 Maryland, 64-46
12.9.07 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 9, 2007
College Park, Md.- Foul. That is the only word to describe the game between the Temple Owls (4-6) and the #3/6 Maryland Terrapins on Sunday afternoon. The Terps (13-1) were whistled for 14 fouls, 11 less than the Owls, as they rolled to the 64-46 win. Ashley Morris led Temple with 13 points, while Shenita Landry had 10 points.
The physical game saw the Owls whistled for 25 fouls, including 17 in the second half and a technical foul on Head Coach Dawn Staley for good measure. The Terps took 32 trips to the free throw line, converting on 24 of them. Temple didn't help its cause, however, committing 21 turnovers and shooting just 32.8% from the field. The Terps committed 17 turnovers and made 46.3% of their shots.
Temple seemed lost and confused in the first half, and by the seven minute mark, the Owls had just four points and 11 turnovers. In fact, it wasn't until the six minute mark that Temple began to show signs of life. Shenita Landry was the lone offensive power, scoring every one of Temple's six points in the first 14 minutes of the game. Maryland went on a 7-0 run to begin the game and it wasn't until the 15 minute mark that Landry finally got the Owls on the board. She added two more just 30 seconds later to make it, 9-4, Maryland with just over 14 minutes to play but the offensive surge was short-lived, as the under-sized Owls turned the ball over six more times and failed to score a basket again until Dawnnae Roberts sank a three-pointer at 5:35. The Terrapins capitalized on Temple's mistakes, going on a 14-2 run in that span to take a 21-9 lead with just over four minutes to play. LaKeisha Eaddy finally put the Cherry and White in double figures with two free throws at 4:27 but Maryland continued to hold a prominent lead, 28-15, with 1:10 to play. A three-point play by Marli Bennett got the Owls within 10 points (28-18) with 50 seconds to go, a differential that would hold going into the break. Temple shot just 24% from the field and committed 12 turnovers but were able to keep pace with the Terps on the boards, each grabbing 16.
Marissa Coleman began the scoring for the Terps in the second half, with a lay-up at 19:26 and sparked a four point run but Morris answered with a four point run of her own to make it 32-22 with 18:40 left to play. A Marah Strickland trey at 17:40 began a 12-2 Maryland run to put the Terps up 44-24 at the 11 minute mark. Temple couldn't buy a shot during that stretch, seeming only to add fouls and turnovers to its stat sheet. Ashley Morris finally broke the six minute scoring drought for the Owls with a basket at 10:51 but the Terps continued to roll, leading by as much as 22 points. Morris fought to keep her team in the game, scoring five straight points and making it a 15-point game (50-35) with eight minutes to play. Hampered by foul calls, Temple fought to contain the home team and was able to get as close as 12 (51-39) with six minutes to play, but that would be as good as it would get as Maryland rolled to the 64-46 win.
Kristi Toliver led three Terps in double figures with a double-double of 15 points and 11 assists. Crystal Langhorne scored 14 points, while Coleman had 12.
After a week off, Temple continues its road trip with a game at Western Michigan Sunday, December 16 at 2 p.m.
