Women's Basketball Opens Conference Play at Memphis on Sunday

Sunday, December 28

Memphis, Tenn.

8:30 p.m.

Temple University

Memphis

Erica Covile is averaging 9.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game for the Owls

Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University

Women's Basketball Opens Conference Play at Memphis on Sunday

12.26.14 | Women's Basketball

PHILADELPHIA - The Temple women's basketball team opens the 2014-15 American Athletic Conference season on Sunday, traveling to Tennessee to take on Memphis at 8:30 p.m. The game will be televised by ESPNU.

Temple enters play in The American after going 4-8 against non-conference opponents. The Owls are coming off a 64-59 loss to Villanova on Monday. Down by 17 with 7:21 to play, Temple attempted a furious comeback, including scoring 11 points in the final 44 seconds, but it wasn't enough as Villanova held on for the win. Freshman Tanaya Atkinson led Temple with 22 points while also adding seven boards, while junior Erica Covile notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

For the season, Atkinson leads the Owls in scoring, with 12.8 points per game, while also adding 6.6 boards per contest. Sophomore Feyonda Fitzgerald (11.9) and senior Tyonna Williams (10.1) also average double-figures in scoring, while combining for 6.75 assists per game. Freshman Alliya Butts has chipped in with 9.8 points per game with a team-high 23 steals, while Covile averages 9.2 points and a team-high 8.1 rebounds per outing.

A year after finishing fifth in The American, Temple was voted fourth in this year's pre-season poll. Fitzgerald was named to the All-Conference team last season, while she and classmate Taylor Robinson represented the Owls on the All-Freshman team. Temple ended its 2013-14 season in the conference quarterfinals, falling to #3 USF, 72-44.

Memphis enters conference play with a 6-5 overall record. The Tigers, who were picked to finish sixth in the pre-season poll, are coming off a 62-39 win against Mississippi Valley State. Junior Asianna Fuqua-Bay notched a double-double in the game with 12 points and 12 boards (all defensive), while Ariel Hearn had a game-high 15 points with six boards and five assists.

Memphis features a pair of players averaging in double-figures including Hearn who contributes 16.7 points per outing and Mooriah Rowser who chips in with 11.8 per game. Fuqua-Bey is averaging 8.7 points and 6.5 rebounds, while Brianna Wright scores 6.9 points and pulls down a team-high 9.2 rebounds per contest.

Last season, Memphis went 6-12 against American Athletic Conference opponents, ending the year with a 73-67 loss to #10 Houston in the first round of the conference tournament. Hearn was a first-team All-Conference selection, while Rowser and Breigha Wilder-Cochran each earned All-Freshman honors.

Temple took both meetings against Memphis last season, a 63-56 win on the road and a 64-51 win at home at the Liacouras Center. Last year's AAC schedule accounted for the only two meetings between the programs in the all-time series.

Watch Live | Live Stats | Game Notes (PDF)