Women's Basketball Looks to Keep Win Streak Alive at Rutgers on Sunday

PHILADELPHIA -- The Temple women's basketball team will look to remain unbeaten, continuing a three-game road trip with a game at Rutgers on Sunday. The Owls will square off against the Scarlet Knights at the Rutgers Athletic Center at 2:00 p.m.

Temple is 2-0 on the season after defeating Florida, 97-91, to open the season and also defeating La Salle, 77-48, on Wednesday.

Against La Salle, the Owls got a double-double from Feyonda Fitzgerald, as the junior closed out the night with 19 points, 10 assists, and eight boards. Freshman Alliya Butts led all players with 21 points, while sophomore Tanaya Atkinson and senior Erica Covile rounded out the scoring with 10 each. Junior Safiya Martin had a monster night on the boards, pulling down 14 rebounds, while bolstering her stat line with six points and four blocks. Sophomore Donnaizha Fountain wrapped up the Temple box score with six points, five rebounds and a team-best three steals.

As a team, Temple shot 50% from the field (29-58) holding La Salle to just 23.3%. Temple held a slim edge on the glass, out-rebounding the Explorers, 44-43.

Fitzgerald leads the Owls in scoring on the young season, accounting for 25.5 points per game, while Butts has averaged 20.5 an outing. Atkinson (15.0 ppg) and Covile (10.5 ppg) have also averaged in double-figures in scoring, while Martin (8.0 rpg) and Fountain (7.0 rpg) are the top Owl rebounders. As a team, Temple is shooting just under 50% on the season, while averaging 87 points per contest.

Rutgers enters the game with a 1-2 record. Despite a late surge in the fourth quarter and a game-high 23 points from junior Tyler Scaife, the Scarlet Knights were edged 69-62 by St. John's on Thursday night at home.

Scaife paced RU with her game-high 23 points, including a 9-of-9 showing at the free throw line. Senior Kahleah Copper followed with 11 points, while redshirt senior Bryiona Canty capped the double-figure scorers with 10 points. Senior center Ariel Butts notched a career-best 11 total rebounds in her first appearance of the season.

In three games, Copper and Scaife both pour in 19.3 points per outing, the only Knights to average in double figures. Copper also pulls down 7.0 rebounds per game, while Butts leads Rutgers on the glass, contributing 11.0 boards per contest.

Rutgers has a commanding lead in the all-time series with Temple, winning 38 of the squads' 49 meetings, including five in a row. The Owls and the Scarlet Knights were conference foes in both the Atlantic-10 and American Athletic Conference, before Rutgers moved to the Big Ten at the start of the 2014-15 season.

In their last meeting, Rutgers shot 56% from the field as the No. 17/19 Scarlet Knights handed the Owls an 88-55 loss at McGonigle Hall. Tyonna Williams led Temple with 14 points and a game-high seven assists. Khadijah Berger notched nine points for the Owls, while Atkinson and Martin each added eight points. Covile was the Temple's top rebounder, pulling down seven boards.

For Rutgers, Kahleah Copper and Betnijah Laney each posted a game-high 20 points in the win. Rachel Hollivay poured in a season-high 14 points, with 10 registered in the second half. Scaife joined the double-figure scorers with 10 in the victory.

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Women's Basketball Looks to Keep Win Streak Alive at Rutgers on Sunday

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Players Mentioned

Tanaya Atkinson

Khadijah Berger

Alliya Butts

Erica Covile

Feyonda Fitzgerald

Donnaizha Fountain

Safiya Martin

Tyonna Williams

Temple University Athletics