Temple University Athletics
Temple Falls to Top-Ranked Duke, 62-52, in NCAA Tournament Second Round to End Season
3.20.07 | Women's Basketball
March 20, 2007
RALEIGH, N.C.-Kamesha Hairston and Fatima Maddox gave #1 seeded Duke everything they had but it was not enough as the duo ended their Temple careers on a 62-52 losing note in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. Maddox led all scorers with 18 points, while Hairston posted her 12th double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds. She added a game-high four steals, one block and two assists to her All-American performance. Lady Comfort was one rebound shy of a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. Temple finishes the season with a 25-8 record, while the Blue Devils continue on to the Sweet 16 with a 32-1 record.
Temple's defense proved to be meddlesome for Duke stars Abby Waner and Alison Bales. Maddox limited the normally lethal three-point shooter Waner to just eight points, while forcing her to commit four fouls and sit for half of the game. Comfort did an admirable job on the 6-7 Bales, who leads the nation in blocks. Bales had just four points, six rebounds and two blocks, far below her normal season average of 11.8 ppg and 8.0 rpg. The Owls could not seem to contain Carrem Gay, however, as the forward posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 boards. Wanisha Smith rounded out the double-figure scorers with 15 points.
After a hot start, the Owls fell behind by as many as 14 points with just under four minutes to play. Costly turnovers, an inability to make lay-ups, scoring lulls and no answer for Player of the Year Candidate Lindsey Harding, who netted 13 first half points, all contributed to the Owls' misfortune. Temple got back on track in the second half, however, playing the top squad tight and getting to within five points on two separate occasions. Harding finished with 18 points.
Temple's defense really clamped down on the Blue Devils, holding them without a field goal until 17:19. Comfort gave Temple its first field goal at 19:33 but the Blue Devils quickly put together a 9-0 run to make it 9-2 just four minutes later. The Owls were able to get open looks but could not seem to get their shots to fall, forcing them to go four minutes without scoring. Maddox finally broke the scoring drought with a jumper at 15:51, which seemed to give Temple some confidence. A 4-0 Cherry and White run cut Duke's lead to just three (11-8) at the 13-minute mark, but three turnovers on the next four possessions allowed the Blue Devils to build a 20-10 lead by the 10-minute mark. Maddox again ignited a 4-0 run to get Temple within six points (22-16) at 8:11, but Duke answered with a run of its own to make it a 10-point game yet again. The Owls continued to fight and a late first-half surge cut the Duke lead to eight (34-26) with 17 seconds to play, but Wanisha Smith had one more shot up her sleeve, giving the Blue Devils a 37-26 advantage at the break.
The second half began just like the first half with a Comfort lay-up and two Duke free throws. Temple was much more aggressive this time, however, and was able to not only create Duke turnovers but also capitalize on those miscues. After holding the Blue Devils without a field goal for over four minutes, Comfort's lay-up at 13:32 made it a five-point game (45-40), the smallest point differential since the opening minutes of the contest. A 4-0 Duke run made it a nine-point game (49-40) just two minutes later, but the scrappy Owls refused to back down, making it a five-point game yet again (51-46) with just over nine minutes to play. Just when it seemed that the Cherry and White was in good position, the Blue Devils scored nine unanswered points, making it a 14-point game (60-46) at the four-minute mark. After taking a seven-minute scoring break, Temple put together a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 60-52 with 1:40 to play. That would be as close as the Owls could get as the top-ranked Blue Devils took the 62-52 victory.
Temple was nearly perfect from the free throw line, making eight of nine attempts.
"This season is a really proud moment in my mind," said Temple head coach Dawn Staley. "We came in with no expectations, not knowing what sort of season we would have. We worked towards our goals. There weren't too many basketball games where we didn't play our hearts out. We could have been smarter in certain situations, but I'm proud to be associated with this team and these young ladies."
