Temple University Athletics
Temple University
3-4
Delaware
3-3
Second-Half Surge Leads Delaware Past Women's Basketball
12.3.14 | Women's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA — The Temple women's basketball team was upended by visiting Delaware, 69-58, on Wednesday night at the Liacouras Center. The Blue Hens used a 27-9 run, spanning the end of the first half to the beginning of the second half, to put the game out of reach for the Owls. TU dips to 3-4 on the season, while Delaware moves to 3-3.
Sophomore Feyonda Fitzgerald led the Owls with 15 points, while freshman Alliya Butts chipped in with 10 points and a team-high five steals. Rookie Tanaya Atkinson had a career-best 15 rebounds with seven points, while junior Erica Covile added 10 boards and nine points. Rounding out the TU leaders, sophomore Safiya Martin had a career-best six blocks, while senior Tyonna Williams had eight points and three assists.
Williams drained a pair of threes in the opening eight minutes, giving Temple and early 10-5 edge. Delaware's Joy Caracciolo scored for the Blue Hens before the Owls forced turnovers on three of the next four possessions, converting on the other end to take an 18-9 lead with 10:06 in the frame.
Despite early foul troubles, Delaware battled back with threes from Hannah Jardine and Courtni Green keying an 8-0 Blue Hen run, which made it 18-17 with 6:51 on the clock. After a Temple free throw, a Brown jumper knotted it at 19-19 at 5:24.
After the teams traded buckets, the Owls put together a 7-0 run of their own, including a three from Khadijah Berger, putting Temple up 28-21 with 2:46 to play. Delaware added four free throws from Green to set the halftime score to 28-25.
Fitzgerald led all players with 10 points at the break, while Green and Brown had seven each for the Blue Hens.
Delaware got hot from three-point range early in the second half, using a 13-2 run to go up 38-30 with 17:30 to play. Green hit a pair of threes during the surge, while Brown added another in the opening minutes to give the Blue Hens their largest lead of the game.
Temple answered with five straight on a three from Butts and a runner from Atkinson, cutting the deficit to 38-35 with 15:38 on the clock. Delaware, however, pushed its lead once again, using an 11-2 run to go up by 11 at 12:24 to play.
Delaware maintained its double-digit advantage, leading the Owls 56-45 with 6:51 to play. A small Temple surge, which included a running jumper from Atkinson and a Butts three, got the Blue Hen edge down to eight at 58-50 with 4:45 to play.
Delaware wasn't finished, however, pushing the lead back to 10 with a Brown bucket at the four-minute mark and eventually going up by 13 on a pair of free throws from Green with 1:08 to play. Temple could get no closer than 10 points the rest of the way, as Delaware sealed the 69-58 win.
Brown finished with 13 second-half points for the Blue Hens, while Green also had a hot second half, adding 12 points in the frame.
Temple continues its home stand with a Sunday game at McGonigle Hall. The Owls will host Fordham at 2 p.m.
Box Score (PDF)
