No. 17/19 Rutgers Tops Women's Basketball

Wednesday, December 10

McGonigle Hall

6:00 p.m.

Temple University

3-6

Rutgers

8-1

Rutgers

Temple

Williams led Temple with 14 points

No. 17/19 Rutgers Tops Women's Basketball

12.10.14 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA -- A 56% shooting performance from Rutgers was too much for the Temple women's basketball team to handle, as the No. 17/19 Scarlet Knights handed the Owls an 88-55 loss on Wednesday night at McGonigle Hall. Temple dips to 3-6 with the loss, while Rutgers improves to 8-1 on the season.

Tyonna Williams led Temple with 14 points and a game-high seven assists. Rookie Khadijah Berger notched nine points for the Owls, while classmate Tanaya Atkinson and sophomore Safiya Martin each added eight points. Junior Erica Covile was the team's top rebounder, pulling down seven boards.

Williams gave the Owls an early 9-4 advantage, connecting on her first three attempts from beyond the arc. Rutgers took over the lead with a 8-2 run, getting jumpers from four different players to make it 12-11 visitors. Williams answered with another three before a lay-up from Betnijah Laney knotted the game at 14-14 with 12:19 to play.

Following the tie, Laney heated up, sparking Rutgers to an 18-3 run, encompassing nearly six minutes of play to set the score to 32-17 with under six to play. Laney had 10 points during the stretch, while Temple turned the ball over four times.

Rutgers continued to roll late in the half, opening up an 18-point lead. The Scarlet Knights shot 60.6%, en route to a 45-27 advantage at the break. Temple, meanwhile shot 28.1% from the field, but kept themselves in the game by hitting four-of-six from three point range.

Laney led all players at the half with 16 points, while Williams had 12 to lead the Owls.

The Scarlet Knights didn't let up in the second half, quickly growing their lead to 25 points at 56-31. Rachel Hollivay and Laney each had four points in the first five minutes of the stanza. Berger nailed a three for Temple, but Rutgers answered with six-straight points to bring the lead to 62-34 with 13:23 to play in the half.

Temple got no closer than a 25-point deficit, with an Atkinson three making it 69-44 with 8:17 play. Over the final eight minutes, Rutgers inside presence combined with their hot shooting proved to be too much for the Owls, as the Scarlet Knights wrapped up the 88-55 victory.

For Rutgers, Betnijah finished with 20 points and seven boards, behind held without a double-double for the first time this season. Kahleah Copper also added 20, while Rachel Hollivay and Tyler Scaife added 14, and 10 points respectively. Temple wraps up its four-game home-stretch with a 2 p.m. tip-off against Florida State on Sunday at McGonigle Hall.

Box Score (PDF)