Lights-Out Second Half Leads Women's Basketball Over Cincinnati

Tuesday, January 20

McGonigle Hall

7:00 p.m.

Temple University

9-11, 5-2Amer.

Cincinnati

5-13, 2-5Amer.

Cincinnati

Temple

Taylor Robinson scored 14 points in 16 minutes of action

Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University

Lights-Out Second Half Leads Women's Basketball Over Cincinnati

1.20.15 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA — The Temple women's basketball team shot a blistering 64.7% in the second half to pull away from Cincinnati, 83-50, on Tuesday evening in American Athletic Conference action at McGonigle Hall. The Owls led by just four points at the break (30-26) but exploded for a season-best shooting percentage to move to 5-2 in conference play, 9-11 overall. Cincinnati dips to 5-13, 2-5 in the American.

Temple shot nearly 50% in the game (35-71), while turning the ball over just eight times to tie a season low. Four players scored in double-figures, led by freshman Alliya Butts' 17 points and five assists, while junior Erica Covile, sophomore Taylor Robinson, and freshman Tanaya Atkinson all added 14-point games. Covile also added five assists and six boards, while Atkinson added a game-high seven rebounds. Robinson went 7-of-8 from the field, making the most of her 16 minutes of action. Rounding out the box score, sophomore Feyonda Fitzgerald had eight points, freshman Khadijah Berger had seven, and junior Mama Traore had six points, five rebounds, and three assists.

Temple held the lead early, going up 5-2 quickly. Cincinnati battled back with an 11-3 run to take over the advantage, a 13-8 lead, with a pair of Marley Hill free throws at 12:28. Temple responded with with a 9-4 surge, backed by seven points from Atkinson, tying it at 17-17 with 5:25 to play in the half.

The Owls regained their early lead on a three from Butts, before a spark from Robinson off the bench gave Temple its largest lead of the half. The sophomore scored six points in just over two minutes of play, and Fitzgerald added a jumper, making it 30-23 Temple with 1:24 remaining.

Cincinnati's Ana Owens kept the Bearcats in the game, scoring the final seven points of the half for the visitors, including burying a three before the break to cut the Temple lead to 30-26.

Butts had eight at the half for Temple, while Atkinson had seven points and four boards. Owens led all players with 10 points at the half, while Hill had six points and four rebounds. Cincinnati shot 50% in the half to Temple's 35%, but the Owls forced 13 turnovers and only had four of their own.

Temple opened the second half on fire, rattling off seven of its first eight shots to increase their advantage to 16, at 46-30, with 14:39 to play. Five different players scored for Temple in the first six minutes, including senior Tyonna Williams, who nailed a three to move into sole possession of fifth place on Temple's all-time list with 134 total makes from beyond-the-arc.

Following the Temple surge, Cincinnati went on an 8-0 run, cutting the lead to 46-38 on a lay-up from Brandey Tarver at 13:36. From that point on, it was all Temple. The Owls responded to the Cincinnati spurt by scoring 10 unanswered points in a stretch of under three minutes. Covile keyed the run with five points, while Berger also added a three to put Temple up by 18 at 56-38.

Cincinnati broke the drought with a jumper from Jamison before Temple's Covile and Cincinnati's Hill traded jumpers to set the score to 56-40 with 10:29 to play. The Owls then put the game away for good, going on a 17-0 run to take a 33-point lead (75-42) with 5:40 to play, a margin that would hold, as the game finished 83-50 in Temple's favor.

Owens finished with 13 points, just three in the second half, while Hill had 12 points and a game-high nine rebounds.

Temple is idle until Tuesday, January 27, when the team travels to Orlando, Fla. to take on UCF at 7 p.m.

Box Score (PDF)