Temple University Athletics
Sunday, December 20
Liacouras Center
4:00 PM
Temple University
vs
Villanova
Women's Basketball Faces Villanova on Sunday in First Big 5 Matchup of the Season
12.16.09 | Women's Basketball
Game will air live on CBS College Sports at 4:00 p.m.
Game Notes vs. Villanova
PHILADELPHIA - After going 3-0 last week, Temple stands at 9-1 overall which ties for the best start ever in the program with the 1981-82 team (not including 12-game seasons). The Owls will look to earn their fifth straight win against Villanova on Sunday, Dec. 20 at 4:00 p.m. in the Liacouras Center.
The game, which will air on CBS College Sports, is the first of this season's four Big 5 games for Temple. Villanova is already 2-0 with wins over Penn and Saint Joseph's.
SERIES RECORD
Like all the Big 5 match-ups, Temple and Villanova have a storied history dating back to 1975. The Wildcats have enjoyed the majority of success historically with a 24-11 all-time record vs. Temple, but in recent years the Owls have won four of five. Last year's meeting was the lone loss for Temple since 2003, as Villanova took a 65-56 win on its home court.
GIMMIE FIVE... A BIG FIVE
Temple has won or shared the last five Philadelphia Big Five titles and six of the last eight. Prior to 2008-09, the Owls went a perfect 4-0 through the city series for four straight seasons and won a record-setting 18 consecutive Big Five games. The streak ended with the loss to Villanova last year, but Temple finished at 3-1 to tie with the Wildcats for the title.
TAKING A LOOK AT TEMPLE
Temple was a perfect 5-0 to start the season, with a comeback win in overtime vs. Illinois followed by victories over Auburn, Dartmouth, Buffalo and Eastern Michigan. The Owls' undefeated record fell at Hartford on Nov. 28, and the Hawks' three-point shooting was Temple's undoing. The Owls cut a 20-point margin down to 10 but could come no closer, losing 65-54. Temple rebounded with a big win on the road at Rutgers on Dec. 2, followed by winning a nail-biter at Hampton on Dec. 8. The Owls won their third and fourth straight games vs. Ohio and Kent State, respectively.
Junior Qwedia Wallace is leading the Owls so far with 14.7 points per game, which ranks sixth in the A-10. Senior Jasmine Stone leads the team in rebounds at 9.6 per game, good enough for second place in the A-10. Stone was named the Big 5 Player of the Week last Monday after averaging a double-double in Temple's three wins the previous week. Sophomore Kristen McCarthy, a preseason A-10 third team pick, is the second-leading scorer to Wallace with 11.8 ppg.
Joining Wallace, McCarthy and Stone in the starting lineup have been senior LaKeisha Eaddy (8.5 ppg, 3.7 apg) and junior Marli Bennett (4.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg). Eaddy has struggled from the field compared to her production last season, but broke out with a game and season-high 16 points at Rutgers. Freshman Natasha Thames (5.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg) spent six games in the starting lineup, but recently came off the bench at Rutgers to score a season-high 10 points.
SCOUTING VILLANOVA
Villanova is 6-2 overall and already 2-0 in the Big 5 with wins over Penn and Saint Joseph's. The Wildcats have won two straight, both at home, vs. Saint Joseph's and most recently Binghamton. Redshirt freshman Laura Sweeney leads the team with 11.1 points per game, and has scored in double figures in seven of the Wildcats' eight contests. Also averaging double figures in scoring is senior Maria Getty at 10.6 ppg. Junior Heather Scanlon is the team leader in rebounding at 6.0 per game.
HOT START
Temple's 9-1 start now matches the best in the last 28 years, since the 1981-82 team started at 9-0. The Owls' 6-1 start had matched the 1982 and 2005 teams. The 1981-82 squad was 13-1 before losing its second game.
30TH IN THE NATION
In both the AP and ESPN/USA Today Polls for this week, Temple is the fifth team receiving votes, making the Owls the 30th-ranked team in both. Xavier is the only A-10 team currently ranked, standing at 12th in the AP Poll and 14th in the ESPN/USA Today Poll.
BJ BREAKS OUT
Sophomore BJ Williams was charged with filling in for an injured Qwedia Wallace on Dec. 12 at Kent State, and responded by lighting it up from the floor en route to scoring a career-high 23 points in the win. Williams was 10-of-18 including two three-pointers. She also tallied a career-high 4 steals while dishing out 3 assists.
HEIGHTENED SECURITY
Temple has held eight of its 10 opponents to 55 points or fewer, and currently ranks 22nd in NCAA Division I in scoring defense at 54.2 ppg.
DEFENSIVE WIN
Forcing 31 turnovers and holding its eighth straight opponent to 55 points or below, Temple earned a 65-43 win vs. Ohio on Dec. 10. TU finished with a 33-12 edge in points off turnovers, committing only 15 of its own.
A WHOLE NEW WORLD
Temple has found a major threat on the glass in senior Jasmine Stone, who was unavailable for the Owls in the non-conference portion of the last two seasons with eligibility issues. Stone ranks first on the team, second in the A-10 and 40th in the nation with 9.6 rebounds per game.
HANGING ON FOR A NAIL-BITER
After beating Rutgers six days earlier, Temple struggled mightily with a much less highly-regarded opponent at Hampton, and barely came away with a 54-51 win. The Owls trailed for most of the game, finally taking a lead with a minute and a half to go.
Jasmine Stone's career-high 15 points and career-high 19 rebounds kept Temple in striking distance the whole way and helped overcome poor shooting as well as 19 turnovers.
TEMPLE TAKES 4 OF 5 BIG 5 HONORS
Five Big 5 Player of the Week awards have been given out this season, and Temple has now earned four of them. The first two of the season went to junior Qwedia Wallace for her outstanding play in the Owls' first four games. Senior LaKeisha Eaddy took the Big 5 weekly honor after her 16-point effort in leading TU to its win at Rutgers.
Most recently, senior Jasmine Stone earned the title after averaging 12.3 ppg and 13 rpg in leading TU to a 3-0 week with wins vs. Hampton, Ohio and Kent State.
HIDE YOUR VALUABLES
The Owls have a knack for coming up with the ball and forcing turnovers, as evidenced by their 11.8 steals per game which is tops in the A-10 and 23rd in NCAA Division I. Temple's 20 team steals at Dartmouth were the most in a single game for any A-10 team so far this season.
JAZZING IT UP
Senior Jasmine Stone played the role of the Owls' “spark off the bench,” for the first six games of the season, and played it well. Stone averaged a double-double in TU's games vs. EMU and at Hartford with 22 total points and 22 total rebounds.
Stone had a breakout game on Dec. 8 in TU's 54-51 win at Hampton with a career-high 15 points and a staggering career-high 19 rebounds. Stone recorded her second straight game with double figures in rebounds, grabbing 10 boards vs. Ohio, and then her second double-double of the week with 16 points and 10 rebounds in a win at Kent State on Dec. 12.
1,000-POINT WATCH
Senior LaKeisha Eaddy has scored 936 points heading into today's contest against Villanova.
PHILADELPHIA - After going 3-0 last week, Temple stands at 9-1 overall which ties for the best start ever in the program with the 1981-82 team (not including 12-game seasons). The Owls will look to earn their fifth straight win against Villanova on Sunday, Dec. 20 at 4:00 p.m. in the Liacouras Center.
The game, which will air on CBS College Sports, is the first of this season's four Big 5 games for Temple. Villanova is already 2-0 with wins over Penn and Saint Joseph's.
SERIES RECORD
Like all the Big 5 match-ups, Temple and Villanova have a storied history dating back to 1975. The Wildcats have enjoyed the majority of success historically with a 24-11 all-time record vs. Temple, but in recent years the Owls have won four of five. Last year's meeting was the lone loss for Temple since 2003, as Villanova took a 65-56 win on its home court.
GIMMIE FIVE... A BIG FIVE
Temple has won or shared the last five Philadelphia Big Five titles and six of the last eight. Prior to 2008-09, the Owls went a perfect 4-0 through the city series for four straight seasons and won a record-setting 18 consecutive Big Five games. The streak ended with the loss to Villanova last year, but Temple finished at 3-1 to tie with the Wildcats for the title.
TAKING A LOOK AT TEMPLE
Temple was a perfect 5-0 to start the season, with a comeback win in overtime vs. Illinois followed by victories over Auburn, Dartmouth, Buffalo and Eastern Michigan. The Owls' undefeated record fell at Hartford on Nov. 28, and the Hawks' three-point shooting was Temple's undoing. The Owls cut a 20-point margin down to 10 but could come no closer, losing 65-54. Temple rebounded with a big win on the road at Rutgers on Dec. 2, followed by winning a nail-biter at Hampton on Dec. 8. The Owls won their third and fourth straight games vs. Ohio and Kent State, respectively.
Junior Qwedia Wallace is leading the Owls so far with 14.7 points per game, which ranks sixth in the A-10. Senior Jasmine Stone leads the team in rebounds at 9.6 per game, good enough for second place in the A-10. Stone was named the Big 5 Player of the Week last Monday after averaging a double-double in Temple's three wins the previous week. Sophomore Kristen McCarthy, a preseason A-10 third team pick, is the second-leading scorer to Wallace with 11.8 ppg.
Joining Wallace, McCarthy and Stone in the starting lineup have been senior LaKeisha Eaddy (8.5 ppg, 3.7 apg) and junior Marli Bennett (4.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg). Eaddy has struggled from the field compared to her production last season, but broke out with a game and season-high 16 points at Rutgers. Freshman Natasha Thames (5.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg) spent six games in the starting lineup, but recently came off the bench at Rutgers to score a season-high 10 points.
SCOUTING VILLANOVA
Villanova is 6-2 overall and already 2-0 in the Big 5 with wins over Penn and Saint Joseph's. The Wildcats have won two straight, both at home, vs. Saint Joseph's and most recently Binghamton. Redshirt freshman Laura Sweeney leads the team with 11.1 points per game, and has scored in double figures in seven of the Wildcats' eight contests. Also averaging double figures in scoring is senior Maria Getty at 10.6 ppg. Junior Heather Scanlon is the team leader in rebounding at 6.0 per game.
HOT START
Temple's 9-1 start now matches the best in the last 28 years, since the 1981-82 team started at 9-0. The Owls' 6-1 start had matched the 1982 and 2005 teams. The 1981-82 squad was 13-1 before losing its second game.
30TH IN THE NATION
In both the AP and ESPN/USA Today Polls for this week, Temple is the fifth team receiving votes, making the Owls the 30th-ranked team in both. Xavier is the only A-10 team currently ranked, standing at 12th in the AP Poll and 14th in the ESPN/USA Today Poll.
BJ BREAKS OUT
Sophomore BJ Williams was charged with filling in for an injured Qwedia Wallace on Dec. 12 at Kent State, and responded by lighting it up from the floor en route to scoring a career-high 23 points in the win. Williams was 10-of-18 including two three-pointers. She also tallied a career-high 4 steals while dishing out 3 assists.
HEIGHTENED SECURITY
Temple has held eight of its 10 opponents to 55 points or fewer, and currently ranks 22nd in NCAA Division I in scoring defense at 54.2 ppg.
DEFENSIVE WIN
Forcing 31 turnovers and holding its eighth straight opponent to 55 points or below, Temple earned a 65-43 win vs. Ohio on Dec. 10. TU finished with a 33-12 edge in points off turnovers, committing only 15 of its own.
A WHOLE NEW WORLD
Temple has found a major threat on the glass in senior Jasmine Stone, who was unavailable for the Owls in the non-conference portion of the last two seasons with eligibility issues. Stone ranks first on the team, second in the A-10 and 40th in the nation with 9.6 rebounds per game.
HANGING ON FOR A NAIL-BITER
After beating Rutgers six days earlier, Temple struggled mightily with a much less highly-regarded opponent at Hampton, and barely came away with a 54-51 win. The Owls trailed for most of the game, finally taking a lead with a minute and a half to go.
Jasmine Stone's career-high 15 points and career-high 19 rebounds kept Temple in striking distance the whole way and helped overcome poor shooting as well as 19 turnovers.
TEMPLE TAKES 4 OF 5 BIG 5 HONORS
Five Big 5 Player of the Week awards have been given out this season, and Temple has now earned four of them. The first two of the season went to junior Qwedia Wallace for her outstanding play in the Owls' first four games. Senior LaKeisha Eaddy took the Big 5 weekly honor after her 16-point effort in leading TU to its win at Rutgers.
Most recently, senior Jasmine Stone earned the title after averaging 12.3 ppg and 13 rpg in leading TU to a 3-0 week with wins vs. Hampton, Ohio and Kent State.
HIDE YOUR VALUABLES
The Owls have a knack for coming up with the ball and forcing turnovers, as evidenced by their 11.8 steals per game which is tops in the A-10 and 23rd in NCAA Division I. Temple's 20 team steals at Dartmouth were the most in a single game for any A-10 team so far this season.
JAZZING IT UP
Senior Jasmine Stone played the role of the Owls' “spark off the bench,” for the first six games of the season, and played it well. Stone averaged a double-double in TU's games vs. EMU and at Hartford with 22 total points and 22 total rebounds.
Stone had a breakout game on Dec. 8 in TU's 54-51 win at Hampton with a career-high 15 points and a staggering career-high 19 rebounds. Stone recorded her second straight game with double figures in rebounds, grabbing 10 boards vs. Ohio, and then her second double-double of the week with 16 points and 10 rebounds in a win at Kent State on Dec. 12.
1,000-POINT WATCH
Senior LaKeisha Eaddy has scored 936 points heading into today's contest against Villanova.
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