Another Late Comeback Falls Short for Women's Basketball

Tuesday, November 24

Hamden, Conn.

5:00 p.m.

Temple University

2-2

Quinnipiac

3-1

Temple

Quinnipiac

Photo by: Julia Martin

Another Late Comeback Falls Short for Women's Basketball

11.24.15 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

HAMDEN, Conn. -- The Temple women's basketball team nearly erased a 10-point deficit in the final three minutes of play, but ultimately came up short, falling 58-56 on the road at Quinnipiac on Tuesday night. The Owls see their record even to 2-2, while the Bobcats improved to 3-1

The Owls out-shot Quinnipiac 38.3% to 34.5% and out-rebounded the Bobcats, 44-34, but Quinnipiac's three-point shooting and 20 Temple turnovers proved to be the difference in the game.

A game removed from having just four players score, Temple had a balanced offensive attack, as nine different Owls scored points. Junior Feyonda Fitzgerald led the way with 13 points, also adding six steals, five assists and three boards. Senior Erica Covile finished with 12 points and nine rebounds, while sophomore Tanaya Atkinson had 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists in front of her hometown crowd. Sophomore Alliya Butts ended with seven points, while Ugo Nwaigwe added five rebounds.

Temple jumped out to a 7-2 lead with a three from Fitzgerald providing an early cushion. Quinnipiac answered with a three to cut the Owl advantage to just two (9-7) with 3:45 remaining. Temple then got buckets from Atkinson and Fitzgerald to increase their lead to 11-7, but Quinnipiac scored five-straight, including a three with under five second to play, to take a 12-11 lead after one.

Each team went on a significant run in the second quarter, as the lead changed hands three times. With the game tied at 15-15, Temple scored seven-straight to take a 22-15 lead. Quinnipiac answered back with an 11-3 surge of their own, re-gaining the lead, 26-25. The Owls were able to close out the first half with an edge, as Berger hit a three and Reynolds scored her first career points to put Temple up 30-28 at the break.

Both teams got hot from long range at the start of the third quarter. Covile and Butts connected for Temple and Maria Napolitano hit one for the Bobcats, making it 38-33 Temple with 4:18 to play in the frame. From there, Quinnipiac went on an 11-2 run to close the quarter taking a 44-40 lead.

Quinnipiac extended their lead into the fourth-quarter, opening the stanza with five-straightpoints to take a 49-40 lead with 8:28 to play. Fitzgerald hit a jumper to halt the run, butQuinnipiac got hot from long-range, extending their advantage to 53-42. Temple cut it to a seven-point deficit (53-46), with back-to-back scores from junior Taylor Robinson and Covile, but again theBobcats answered from deep, making it a 56-46 game with under five minutes to play. Temple had a6-3 surge, which included steals from freshman Deja Reynolds and Fitzgerald, but Quinnipiac responded inthe paint, making it a 10-points game (58-48) with 3:03 to play.

In the final three minutes of play, Temple mounted a furious comeback. Atkinson scored a pair ofbuckets and a Fitzgerald free throw made it 58-53, before a three-point play from Covile made it58-56 with 1:03 remaining. Fitzgerald got a steal on the next posession, but the Owls missed athree giving QU the ball with 33 seconds to play. On the next trip down the court, another Fitzgerald steal gave the Owls the ball with 24.2 to play. The Owls had a few chances to score, grabbing two rebounds, before Edel Thornton grabbed the final board to end the Temple comeback attempt.

The Owls are back in action on Sunday, hosting Saint Joseph's at McGonigle Hall at 2:00 p.m.

Box Score (PDF)