Women's Basketball Hosts Villanova on Wednesday

PHILADELPHIA -- The Temple women's basketball team looks to bounce back from a three-game skid, hosting Big 5 rival, Villanova, on Wednesday evening. Action tips off at McGonigle Hall at 5:00 p.m.

After a 2-0 start to the season, Temple has lost three-straight, including a 70-67 heartbreaker at home against Saint Joseph's on Sunday.
In that game, the Hawks out-scored Temple, 24-13, in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback. The Owls had three players in double-figures led by junior Feyonda Fitzgerald who finished with 19 points, six assists, and five rebounds. Sophomores Tanaya Atkinson (12 points) and Alliya Butts (10 points) also aided the Temple offense, which out-shot Saint Joseph's 46.4% to 41.4%.

Fitzgerald leads Temple in nearly every statistical category at the start of the season, as she averages 22.0 points per game (1st), 5.8 assists (1st), 5.8 rebounds (T-1st), and 2.8 steals (1st). Butts is second on the team in scoring, averaging 15.2 points per game, while Atkinson averages 11.2 points and 4.0 rebounds an outing. Senior Erica Covile has contributed 8.4 points and 4.8 assists per game and sophomore Donnaizha Fountain averages 5.0 points and 5.8 boards a contest.

Villanova enters the game with a 4-1 overall record, with a four-game winning streak on the line. The Wildcats most recently tallied a 65-44 win over Lehigh in the championship game of the Christmas City Classic on Sunday. Caroline Coyer led all scorers with 21 points to go with six rebounds and five assists, and was 8-of-15 from the field and 5-of-12 from three-point range. Adrianna Hahn finished with 13 points, while Jordan Dillard chipped in with 10 points.

For the season, Caroline Coyer leads Villanova with 17.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per contest. Hahn is the only other Wildcat in double-figures on the season, averaging 11.8 points an outing. Megan Quinn also contributes to the offense, averaging 9.6 points for Villanova, which as a team averages 63.6 points per game, holding opponents to just 54.6. The Wildcats shoot 41% from the field, and 34% from three, but just 63% from the free throw line.

As Philadelphia Big 5 rivals, Temple and Villanova have met 41 times. Villanova leads the all-time series 29-12, including six out of the last seven meetings.

Last season, Temple made a furious comeback, including scoring 11 points in the final 44 seconds, but it wasn't enough as Villanova held on for a 64-59 victory. It was a tale of two halves for the Owls, as the team shot just 17.6% from the field in the first half, but rebounded to make 50% of its attempts in the second half. For the game, Temple out-rebounded the Wildcats, 44-32, and had less turnovers, 15 to Villanova's 17, but the Owls couldn't overcome their early shooting woes.

Individually, Atkinson led Temple with 22 points also adding seven boards, while Covile notched a double-double, scoring 11 points and tying a game-high with 10 rebounds. For Villanova, Catherine Coyer had 14 points and five assists, while Kavunaa Edwards notched a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Temple's last win against Villanova came on December 19, 2010, when the Owls won on the road, 55-43.

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Women's Basketball Hosts Villanova on Wednesday

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Players Mentioned

Tanaya Atkinson

Alliya Butts

Erica Covile

Feyonda Fitzgerald

Donnaizha Fountain

Temple University Athletics