Temple University Athletics
Temple Routs Rhode Island, 95-48
1.14.09 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 14, 2009
PHILADELPHIA - All five starters netted double figures to lift Temple women's basketball to a 95-48 win over Rhode Island on Wednesday afternoon at the Liacouras Center during the Owls' annual School Day game.
The Owls improved to 10-5 overall and 2-0 in the Atlantic 10, while the Rams fell to 7-9 overall and 0-1 in their A-10 opener. The contest was the Owls' first home game in over a month.
Area school children attended the game, following a morning of basketball skills drills and talks promoting communication and teamwork for the participating students. With the win, Temple is now a perfect 7-0 on School Day.
"Today was an unbelievable day for us," TU head coach Tonya Cardoza said. "We've talked about playing 40 good minutes of basketball, and today we did. It was a great win at home."
The Owls started off on fire and never looked back, jumping out to a quick 19-2 lead. Sophomore Lindsay Kimmel nailed back-to-back three pointers to push TU's lead to 22 points. She finished with four of the team's seven treys in the first half. The Owls led at intermission by 33 points, 51-18.
"I thought we did a good job of knocking down open shots," Cardoza said.
In the second half, Temple continued to build upon its double-digit lead, going ahead by as many as 47 points. The Owls added four more treys in the second stanza, finishing the game with 11 three pointers, one shy of the school record.
"We thought it was time to prove ourselves and play all 40 minutes," Kimmel said.
Kimmel was the top Owl, finishing with a career-high 22 points, including a career-high six three-point buckets. Senior Shenita Landry and freshman Kristen McCarthy followed with double-double performances, each scoring a career-high of 19 points. Landry also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, while McCarthy had a career-high 10 boards. Junior LaKeisha Eaddy had a double-double with 12 points and a career-high and Liacouras Center record 12 assists. The last time that a Temple player had a double-double in points and assists was in 1992 when Dallese Jackson had 12 points and 12 assists against Rhode Island. Senior Shanea Cotton rounded out the double-digit scoring with 10 points.
"Today she was a little more focused," Cardoza said of Kimmel. "She stayed with her shot and was confident they would go in."
Lindsay Harris was the sole Ram player in double figures with 12 points. TU held leading scorer Megan Shoniker to just five points, seven points below her average. She didn't make her first bucket until the 9:22 mark of the second half.
Overall, Temple out-rebounded Rhode Island, 50-29. The Owls shot 58 percent (37-64) from the field, compared to URI's 26 percent (17-65). Rhode Island was nearly perfect from the line, making 10-of-11 free throws.
Temple continues A-10 action on Sunday, Jan. 18 with a trip to Duquesne. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
