Temple University Athletics
Women's Basketball Squares Off Against Xavier In Atlantic 10 Final
3.9.08 | Women's Basketball
March 9, 2008
PHILADELPHIA-The Temple women's basketball team (21-11) goes into battle against the Xavier Musketeers (23-8) on Monday night looking for its fifth Atlantic 10 championship and the automatic NCAA Tournament bid. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and tips off at 5 p.m. The Owls defeated Richmond and Dayton, while Xavier took down Saint Joseph's and #12 George Washington to earn the trip to the final.
Temple is 4-2 all-time in Atlantic 10 final games but is a perfect 4-0 under Dawn Staley. The Owls are 26-21 all-time in the Atlantic 10 Tournament and 18-6 in their home city of Philadelphia. In Staley's eight seasons, the Owls have gone 17-3 in the A-10 Tournament.
Temple and Xavier, during the Staley and McGuff era, have had quite a storied rivalry. Last season, Temple edged Xavier, 59-58, during the regular season, a favor that the Musketeers returned during the A-10 Tournament when they edged TU, 54-53, in the semifinal round. A 64-61 win in the 2005 A-10 Tournament semi-final gave Staley her 100th career win. The Cherry and White earned another memorable victory on Jan. 30, 2005, when former All-American Kamesha Hairston scored 31 points, including a last second shot that made ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays, to give Temple a 64-62 win.
In Temple and Xavier's last meeting, on February, 9, Ashley Morris netted 15 points, including 13 in the first half, and dished five assists but it was not enough to overcome a 12-point second half performance by Xavier's Amber Harris and Temple ended its seven-game winning streak with a 64-55 defeat. TU rebounded from an early first half deficit to gain as much as a seven-point advantage with 18 minutes to play but ran out of gas. Shenita Landry contributed six points, seven boards and four steals, while Lindsay Kimmel posted nine points on three-of-five shooting from long range.
Lending a Helping Hand
Ashley Morris has dished 143 assists in 32 games, which is fourth all-time on Temple's single season assist list. She is just two helpers shy of the third place spot, held by Karen Healey (1987-88). Dallese Jackson is the all-time single season leader in assists, earning 202 during the 1991-92 season.
We're Going Streaking!
Temple has won seven straight games and 14 of their last 15 games. Its only loss during that stretch was to Xavier, 64-55, on February 9. Ironically, the Owls were riding a seven game winning streak when they faced the Musketeers earlier in the season.
