Temple University Athletics
Monday, December 28
Akron, Ohio
7:00 PM
Temple University
at
Akron
Women's Basketball Travels to Akron on Monday
12.26.09 | Women's Basketball
9-2 Owls look to rebound after having four-game win streak snapped
Game Notes vs. Akron
PHILADELPHIA - Resuming play after a break for the holidays, Temple women's basketball will travel to Akron for a 7:00 p.m. contest on Monday, Dec. 28. The Owls will be looking to earn their 10th win of the season after recently having a four-game winning streak snapped by Villanova.
Temple suffered only its second loss of the season against the Wildcats on Dec. 20, struggling to one of the worst offensive performances in the history of the program. But the Owls had won four straight prior to the loss, and at 9-2 are still off to their best start since 1983-84.
TOUGH ROAD AHEAD
Temple's upcoming stretch is likely the toughest of any team in the nation. The Owls will wrap up the non-conference season by facing #8 Duke at home and #12 Florida State on the road. Temple will open its A-10 season on the road at #14 Xavier.
TAKING A LOOK AT THE OWLS...
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 13.9 points per game, which ranks eighth in the A-10. Senior Jasmine Stone leads the team in rebounds at 9.2 per game, good enough for second place in the A-10. Stone was named the Big 5 Player of the Week two weeks ago 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 11.1 ppg.
Joining Wallace, McCarthy and Stone in the starting lineup have been senior LaKeisha Eaddy (8.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg) and junior Marli Bennett (4.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg). Sophomore BJ Williams is Temple's leading player off the bench, averaging 6.7 points per game, followed by freshman Natasha Thames (4.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg) who spent the first six games of the season in the starting lineup.
SCOUTING AKRON
Akron has a winning record at 6-5 overall, and just like the Owls, the Zips recently had a four-game winning streak snapped. Akron most recently lost 71-60 at Niagara. Kara Murphy leads the Zips with 15.2 points per game, and has been Akron's leading scorer in six contests. The two teams have not met before, and share no common opponents so far in 2009-10.
HOT START
Temple's 9-1 start matched the best in 28 years, since the 1981-82 team started 9-0. That squad went 13-1 before losing its second game. Now at 9-2, the Owls have still matched the best start since 1983-84 when the team was 9-2 before dropping two straight.
AS COLD AS THE WEATHER
The day after a blizzard hit Philadelphia, the Owls were just as cold from the field in a 44-32 loss to Big 5 rival Villanova on Dec. 20. Not a single player scored in double figures for Temple, whose point total was nearly the lowest in the history of the program. The Owls shot just 19 percent from the field, and lost after holding a 16-11 lead at halftime.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Prior to the Villanova loss, Temple had been ranked 30th (by votes) in both the AP?and ESPN/USA Today Polls. The Owls are no longer receiving votes inthe AP Poll, but are still receiving 8 votes 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 nine of its 11 opponents to 55 points or fewer, and currently ranks 16th in NCAA Division I in scoring defense at 53.3 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 52nd in the nation with 9.2 rebounds per game.
TEMPLE TAKES 4 OF 6 BIG 5 HONORS
Six Big 5 Player of the Week awards have been given out this season, and Temple has 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 11.5 steals per game which is tops in the A-10 and 25th 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.
PHILADELPHIA - Resuming play after a break for the holidays, Temple women's basketball will travel to Akron for a 7:00 p.m. contest on Monday, Dec. 28. The Owls will be looking to earn their 10th win of the season after recently having a four-game winning streak snapped by Villanova.
Temple suffered only its second loss of the season against the Wildcats on Dec. 20, struggling to one of the worst offensive performances in the history of the program. But the Owls had won four straight prior to the loss, and at 9-2 are still off to their best start since 1983-84.
TOUGH ROAD AHEAD
Temple's upcoming stretch is likely the toughest of any team in the nation. The Owls will wrap up the non-conference season by facing #8 Duke at home and #12 Florida State on the road. Temple will open its A-10 season on the road at #14 Xavier.
TAKING A LOOK AT THE OWLS...
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 13.9 points per game, which ranks eighth in the A-10. Senior Jasmine Stone leads the team in rebounds at 9.2 per game, good enough for second place in the A-10. Stone was named the Big 5 Player of the Week two weeks ago 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 11.1 ppg.
Joining Wallace, McCarthy and Stone in the starting lineup have been senior LaKeisha Eaddy (8.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg) and junior Marli Bennett (4.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg). Sophomore BJ Williams is Temple's leading player off the bench, averaging 6.7 points per game, followed by freshman Natasha Thames (4.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg) who spent the first six games of the season in the starting lineup.
SCOUTING AKRON
Akron has a winning record at 6-5 overall, and just like the Owls, the Zips recently had a four-game winning streak snapped. Akron most recently lost 71-60 at Niagara. Kara Murphy leads the Zips with 15.2 points per game, and has been Akron's leading scorer in six contests. The two teams have not met before, and share no common opponents so far in 2009-10.
HOT START
Temple's 9-1 start matched the best in 28 years, since the 1981-82 team started 9-0. That squad went 13-1 before losing its second game. Now at 9-2, the Owls have still matched the best start since 1983-84 when the team was 9-2 before dropping two straight.
AS COLD AS THE WEATHER
The day after a blizzard hit Philadelphia, the Owls were just as cold from the field in a 44-32 loss to Big 5 rival Villanova on Dec. 20. Not a single player scored in double figures for Temple, whose point total was nearly the lowest in the history of the program. The Owls shot just 19 percent from the field, and lost after holding a 16-11 lead at halftime.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Prior to the Villanova loss, Temple had been ranked 30th (by votes) in both the AP?and ESPN/USA Today Polls. The Owls are no longer receiving votes inthe AP Poll, but are still receiving 8 votes 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 nine of its 11 opponents to 55 points or fewer, and currently ranks 16th in NCAA Division I in scoring defense at 53.3 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 52nd in the nation with 9.2 rebounds per game.
TEMPLE TAKES 4 OF 6 BIG 5 HONORS
Six Big 5 Player of the Week awards have been given out this season, and Temple has 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 11.5 steals per game which is tops in the A-10 and 25th 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.
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