Women's Basketball Hosts Saint Joseph's on Sunday

Sunday, November 29

McGonigle Hall

2:00 p.m.

Temple University

Saint Joseph's

Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University

Women's Basketball Hosts Saint Joseph's on Sunday

11.27.15 | Women's Basketball

PHILADELPHIA -- The Temple women's basketball team is back in action on Sunday afternoon, hosting Big 5-rival, Saint Joseph's, at 2:00 p.m. at McGonigle Hall. The 2-2 Owls are looking to snap a two-game losing streak.

Last time out, Temple 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 out-shot Quinnipiac 38.3% to 34.5% and out-rebounded the Bobcats, 44-34. However, it was Quinnipiac's three-point shooting (the Bobcats connected for nine from three) and the 20 Temple turnovers that 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.

Fitzgerald has been spectacular for the Owls this season, averaging 22.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in four games. Her point and assist averages lead Temple, while she's second in rebounding from the guard position. Butts also aids the offense, tallying 16.5 points per outing, while classmate Tanaya Atkinson is the only other Temple player averaging in double-figures, putting up 11.0 points per game.

Senior Erica Covile has shaken off a slow start and now averaged 8.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, while junior Safiya Martin is averaging 6.3 rebounds. Martin also leads the Owls with eight blocked shots this season.

Saint Joseph's enters the game with an 0-3 mark to open the season. The Hawks have dropped games to Rutgers, Seton Hall, and Villanova.

Senior Ciara Andrews leads SJU in scoring, averaging 14.3 points per game, while classmate Sarah Fairbanks is second on the team with 9.0 points per game. Fairbanks leads the Hawks on the glass, pulling down 7.7 rebounds per outing. Chelsea Woods is averaging 8.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game for SJU, while Kathleen Fitzpatrick (6.7 ppg) and Alyssa Monaghan (6.0 ppg) also contribute to the offense.

As a team, Saint Joseph's shoots 38.6% from the field, 21.2% from three, and 63.0% from the free throw line, while averaging 56.0 points per game. The Hawks allow opponents to shoot over 44% from the field, and opponents have out-rebounded SJU this season, 37.3-33.3.

In their last outing, Saint Joseph's dropped a tight battle its last time out, falling 55-49 to Villanova on the road on Tuesday, in the Big 5 opener for both teams. Down by eight with six minutes to play, Saint Joseph's went on a 6-0 run to cut the lead to two, but Villanova allowed the Hawks to get no closer. Saint Joseph's Andrews notched a game-high 18 points, while Fairbanks had a game-best 11 rebounds to go with nine points for SJU.

Saint Joseph's leads the all-time series with Temple, 42-34, including three in a row. Prior to the three-game losing streak for Temple vs. Saint Joseph's, the Owls had won nine-straight in the match-up.

The last time they met, Saint Joseph's won a 78-74 overtime game on their home court on November 18, 2014. After a back-and-forth regulation session ended tied at 68-68, the Hawks hit a few big buckets in overtime to seal the victory.

Alliya Butts led the Owl offense, scoring 22 points in just her second collegiate game. The rookie also added five assists and five boards in the loss. Sophomore Feyonda Fitzgerald had 18 points, four rebounds, and four assists for the Owls, while freshman Tanaya Atkinson collected her first double-double with 17 points and 11 boards. Sophomore Safiya Martin also recorded her first-career double-double, pulling down a game-high 14 rebounds to go along with 10 points and a pair of blocks.

SJU's Sarah Fairbanks led all scorers with 23 points, adding 13 boards for a double-double. Ciara Andrews and Kathleen Fitzpatrick each had 14 points, while Ashley Robinson had 11 points to round out the double-digit scorers for the Hawks.

Live Stats | Live Video | Game Notes (PDF)