Women's Basketball Plays at #13/14 Florida State on Sunday

PHILADELPHIA -- The Temple women's basketball team will look for its second-straight win, as the Owls head to Tallahassee to take on #13/14 Florida State on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. The game will be carried by ESPN3 (watchespn.com or WatchESPN app), with Shawn Davison and Melissa Bruner on the call.

Temple (3-3) snapped a three-game skid with a big win over Villanova at home on Wednesday. The Owls built a 20-point lead after two quarters of play and then held off a late charge from the Wildcats to seal the victory, 61-55. The win was the first for Temple over Villanova since 2010.

Last time out, junior Feyonda Fitzgerald led all players with 23 points, while three other Owls hit double-figures in scoring. Senior Erica Covile notched her 10th career double-double, with 10 points and a season and game-high 13 boards. Sophomore Alliya Butts had 13 points and a pair of steals, while classmate Donnaizha Fountain hit career highs at Temple with 10 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore Tanaya Atkinson pulled down 12 rebounds in the game, contributing to a 50-37 advantage for Temple on the glass.

For the season, Fitzgerald leads the Owls with 22.2 points per game, also topping the season-box score with 5.1 assists and 3.0 steals per outing. Butts has contributed 14.8 points per game, relying on 44.7% shooting from the field, a team-high in the backcourt. The Owls have a big presence from three other guards, as Atkinson averages 10.0 points and 5.3 rebounds, Covile contributes 8.7 points and 6.2 boards, and Fountain is averaging 6.0 points and a team-best 6.4 rebounds.

As a team, Temple averages 68.2 points per game, holding opponents to 63.8. The Owls shoot 40% from the field, 31.6% from three, and 75.2% from the line. On the glass, the Owls have a +3.7 rebounding margin on the season.

The Seminoles are 6-1 on the season, winners of six-straight after a season-opening loss to Florida. FSU is fresh off a 65-43 win over Rutgers on Thursday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Against the Scarlet Knights, FSU's Leticia Romero scored 18 points on 8-of-13 from the field. Shakayla Thomas added 15 points and Ivey Slaughter scored 10 for the Seminoles (6-1), who jumped out to a 19-4 advantage at the end of the first quarter and led by no less than 11 the rest of the way.

FSU enters Sunday's game with the seventh-ranked scoring defense in the nation, as the Seminoles have allowed just 49.7 points per game. Any one of five Florida State players can be counted on to score, led by Adut Bulgak's 18.3 points per game, with her also tallying a team-high 8.9 rebounds a contest. Thomas has contributed averages of 15.6 points and 5.9 boards a game, while Romero is averaging 12.0 points. Brittany Brown (11.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg) and Slaughter (9.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg) also aid the Seminoles.

Florida State leads the all-time series, 4-1, including winning three in a row against the Owls. Temple's lone win in the series came on December 29, 1995, a 72-67 neutral site victory.

In the team's last meeting, a late Temple comeback fell short as FSU defeated the Owls, 66-62, at McGonigle Hall on December 14, 2014. For Temple, Covile recorded a double-double with 14 points and a team-high 11 rebounds, while Atkinson shot 63.6% from the field, leading Temple with 16 points. Fitzgerald chipped in with 11 points, five boards, five assists, and three steals. For FSU, Slaughter had a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Bulgak and Brown each added 11 points.

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Women's Basketball Plays at #13/14 Florida State on Sunday

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Players Mentioned

Tanaya Atkinson

Alliya Butts

Erica Covile

Feyonda Fitzgerald

Donnaizha Fountain

Temple University Athletics