Temple University Athletics
Thursday, December 22
McGonigle Hall
4:00 PM
Temple University
vs
Villanova
Photo by: Mitchell Leff
Women's Basketball Faces First Big 5 Test of the Season Against Villanova on Thursday
12.21.11 | Women's Basketball
Owls and Wildcats will play at 4:00 p.m. in McGonigle Hall
Game Notes vs. Villanova (PDF)
PHILADELPHIA - Riding a three-game win streak, the Temple women's basketball team will face its first Big 5 test of the 2011-12 season when the Owls play host to Villanova at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 22 in McGonigle Hall. The Wildcats have started strong at 8-2, and are already 2-0 in the Big 5, while Temple is 5-5 and has not yet played a Big 5 contest.
For a live webcast of the game, click HERE, and for live stats, click HERE.
THE OPENING TIP
•Temple has won three straight since returning home for what will be a five-game homestand in the month of December...On Dec. 20 the Owls scored a 59-53 win vs. UCLA, a team ranked 16th in the AP Preaseason Poll.
•The Owls snapped an early-season five-game losing streak with a big, 73-57 win vs. Auburn on Dec. 3 and followed it with a 66-38 win vs. Kent State on Dec. 6.
•All five of the Owls' losses came as part of a six-game road swing, and they lost the first four by an average of only seven points...Temple was within two points in the final minute of three of those losses (#24/25 Ohio St., Northern Illinois and St. John's).
•Shey Peddy was named the A-10 Player of the Week on Dec. 5 after scoring her Temple career high with 27 points vs. Auburn, and leading the Owls with 16 points at #11/12 Rutgers...Peddy averaged 21.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 4.5 steals per game in the two contests.
•Shey Peddy was recently named to the 2011-12 Naismith Women's College Player of the Year preseason watch list...She was one of 50 Division I student-athletes named to the list.
•Villanova is 8-2 overall and receiving a vote in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll...The Wildcats won three straight to start the season, including a season-opening, 75-64 win against then-#25 Michigan State...Villanova has now won five straight including Big 5 wins vs. La Salle and Saint Joseph's...Junior Laura Sweeney is the lone player averaging double figures in scoring with 17.1 points per game along with a team-best 9.6 rebounds per game.
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 25-12 all-time record vs. Temple. Villanova won in 2008 and 2009, but the Owls got the best of the Wildcats a year ago (55-43 on the road) and have taken five of the last seven. In 2009 the Wildcats took a low-scoring decision at the Liacouras Center, 44-32. In 2008, Villanova won for the first time since 2003 with a 65-56 victory on its home court.
OWLS LOOK FOR ANOTHER BIG 5 TITLE
The 2010-11 Big 5 title was Temple's alone as the Owls edged Saint Joseph's 52-49 on Feb. 23, completing a perfect 4-0 sweep of the city series. The previous year was the first in six seasons that Temple had NOT won or shared the title. Last year's title was Temple's ninth overall and eighth outright since the Big 5 tradition was established for women's basketball in 1979-80.
PEDDY THEFT
Shey Peddy continues to find ways to grab the ball from Temple's opponents, as she leads the team and ranks second in the A-10 this season with 27 steals (2.9 per game).
Peddy set the program's all-time record for steals in a single season last year with 104, recording at least one steal in all but one game, and has also notched at least one steal in all but one game so far in 2011-12. Her 3.2 spg a year ago ranked second in the A-10 and tied for 10th in NCAA Division I.
SHATTERING THE GLASS
In Temple's wins vs. Auburn and Kent State, the Owls averaged 15 more rebounds per game than their opponents (44.5 to 29.5). Temple's 52 rebounds vs. Kent State were the most in nearly three years, since the Owls pulled down 52 boards in an OT win at Tulane on Dec. 28, 2008.
Having allowed its opponents just 33.8 rpg this season, Temple ranks in first among all teams in the A-10 in rebounding defense.
McCARTHY IS HEAD OF THE CLASS
On Nov. 4, it was announced that Kristen McCarthy was one of 30 candidates selected for the Lowe's 2011-12 Women's Basketball Senior CLASS Award, which recognizes notable achievements in four areas- classroom, character, community and competition. The 10 finalists will be announced in late January, at which time a national ballot will be available to fans. To learn more, visit the website at www.seniorclassaward.com.
PHILADELPHIA - Riding a three-game win streak, the Temple women's basketball team will face its first Big 5 test of the 2011-12 season when the Owls play host to Villanova at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 22 in McGonigle Hall. The Wildcats have started strong at 8-2, and are already 2-0 in the Big 5, while Temple is 5-5 and has not yet played a Big 5 contest.
For a live webcast of the game, click HERE, and for live stats, click HERE.
THE OPENING TIP
•Temple has won three straight since returning home for what will be a five-game homestand in the month of December...On Dec. 20 the Owls scored a 59-53 win vs. UCLA, a team ranked 16th in the AP Preaseason Poll.
•The Owls snapped an early-season five-game losing streak with a big, 73-57 win vs. Auburn on Dec. 3 and followed it with a 66-38 win vs. Kent State on Dec. 6.
•All five of the Owls' losses came as part of a six-game road swing, and they lost the first four by an average of only seven points...Temple was within two points in the final minute of three of those losses (#24/25 Ohio St., Northern Illinois and St. John's).
•Shey Peddy was named the A-10 Player of the Week on Dec. 5 after scoring her Temple career high with 27 points vs. Auburn, and leading the Owls with 16 points at #11/12 Rutgers...Peddy averaged 21.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 4.5 steals per game in the two contests.
•Shey Peddy was recently named to the 2011-12 Naismith Women's College Player of the Year preseason watch list...She was one of 50 Division I student-athletes named to the list.
•Villanova is 8-2 overall and receiving a vote in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll...The Wildcats won three straight to start the season, including a season-opening, 75-64 win against then-#25 Michigan State...Villanova has now won five straight including Big 5 wins vs. La Salle and Saint Joseph's...Junior Laura Sweeney is the lone player averaging double figures in scoring with 17.1 points per game along with a team-best 9.6 rebounds per game.
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 25-12 all-time record vs. Temple. Villanova won in 2008 and 2009, but the Owls got the best of the Wildcats a year ago (55-43 on the road) and have taken five of the last seven. In 2009 the Wildcats took a low-scoring decision at the Liacouras Center, 44-32. In 2008, Villanova won for the first time since 2003 with a 65-56 victory on its home court.
OWLS LOOK FOR ANOTHER BIG 5 TITLE
The 2010-11 Big 5 title was Temple's alone as the Owls edged Saint Joseph's 52-49 on Feb. 23, completing a perfect 4-0 sweep of the city series. The previous year was the first in six seasons that Temple had NOT won or shared the title. Last year's title was Temple's ninth overall and eighth outright since the Big 5 tradition was established for women's basketball in 1979-80.
PEDDY THEFT
Shey Peddy continues to find ways to grab the ball from Temple's opponents, as she leads the team and ranks second in the A-10 this season with 27 steals (2.9 per game).
Peddy set the program's all-time record for steals in a single season last year with 104, recording at least one steal in all but one game, and has also notched at least one steal in all but one game so far in 2011-12. Her 3.2 spg a year ago ranked second in the A-10 and tied for 10th in NCAA Division I.
SHATTERING THE GLASS
In Temple's wins vs. Auburn and Kent State, the Owls averaged 15 more rebounds per game than their opponents (44.5 to 29.5). Temple's 52 rebounds vs. Kent State were the most in nearly three years, since the Owls pulled down 52 boards in an OT win at Tulane on Dec. 28, 2008.
Having allowed its opponents just 33.8 rpg this season, Temple ranks in first among all teams in the A-10 in rebounding defense.
McCARTHY IS HEAD OF THE CLASS
On Nov. 4, it was announced that Kristen McCarthy was one of 30 candidates selected for the Lowe's 2011-12 Women's Basketball Senior CLASS Award, which recognizes notable achievements in four areas- classroom, character, community and competition. The 10 finalists will be announced in late January, at which time a national ballot will be available to fans. To learn more, visit the website at www.seniorclassaward.com.
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