Temple University Athletics
Temple Women's Basketball Ousted By Florida, 70-57 In NCAA First Round
3.22.09 | Women's Basketball
March 22, 2009
Box Score|Photo Gallery
| AP Action Photos
Storrs, Conn.- Sha Brooks led three Florida (24-7) players in double figures with 18 points as the Gators defeated the Temple women's basketball team (21-10), 70-57, in the First Round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament on Sunday. Florida, who improves to 6-1 against Temple, advances to face top-seeded UConn in the Second Round on Tuesday. Seniors Shenita Landry and Shanea Cotton scored 13 and 12 points, respectively in their final game as a Temple Owl.
Kristen McCarthy netted12 points, while Jasmine Stone nearly missed a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds. LaKeisha Eaddy dished six assists and had four steals.
Temple struggled to make shots all day, especially from long range, where the Owls were 0-for-12. Florida couldn't miss in the first half, shooting an incredible 60.7% from the field, while the Owls missed several open lay-ups. Stone was a force in the paint, leading the Owls with 10 points and six rebounds in the first half. The Gators cooled off a bit in the second half but still finished with a 46.4% shooting clip.
Temple won the tip and Eaddy got the Owls going with a lay-up at 19:55, sparking a 4-0 run. Florida answered with a 6-0 run of their own to take a 6-4 lead at 17:36. The teams traded the lead for the next few minutes, with neither team able to get more than four points ahead of the other. Temple began to struggle against Florida's pressure defense, allowing the Gators to take a 25-19 advantage with 7:43 remaining. The Owls had various chances to take the lead but missed multiple open lay-ups, allowing the Gators to stay in control. Florida continued to force turnovers and extended its lead to 12 points (31-19) with 14:30 remaining. Shenita Landry finally broke the Temple three minute scoring drought with a lay-up at 6:19 but Florida continued to roll and took a 34-21 lead with just under five minutes to play. Stone began to take over, getting her team going on both the offensive and defensive ends, allowing the Owls to go on a 7-0 run and cut the lead to just five points (34-29) with 1:43 remaining. Florida put together a 5-2 run in the final minute to take a 41-33 lead going into the break.
McCarthy began the second half with a jumper to make it 41-35 but Florida followed that up with an 11-4 run to take a double-digit lead yet again (52-39) at 15:49. Temple's offensive struggles continued but its defense held strong and the Cherry and White were able to close the gap to five points (54-49) with eight and a half minutes to play. Cotton was unstoppable during that stretch, going a perfect four-for-four for eight points. Just when it seemed that the Owls were poised to make their run, Florida sank back-to-back three-pointers to make it 60-51 with 6:41 left. Temple never seemed to recover, as Florida went on an 8-2 run over the next five minutes to take a 68-53 lead with 2:15 remaining. Cotton's lay-up at 2:03 gave TU its first basket in four minutes but it was too little, too late, as Florida advanced to the Second Round with a 70-57 win.
Steffi Sorenson finished with a double-double of 13 points and 13 boards for Florida, while Marshae Dotson had 13 points.
