Women's Basketball Hosts Fairfield in Thursday Matinee

PHILADELPHIA -- The Temple women's basketball team will wrap up the calendar year by hosting Fairfield on Thursday afternoon. The McGonigle Hall matinee tips off at 2:00 p.m. and tickets are available online at OwlsTix.com or at the door.

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SCOUTING THE OWLS
Temple is led by the defending ESPNW National Player of the Week, Feyonda Fitzgerald. The senior guard is averaging 19.5 points, 5.9 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game. She is joined in the backcourt by junior Alliya Butts, who averages 16.1 points and 3.6 assists per game, as well as juniors Tanaya Atkinson (13.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and Donnaizha Fountain (12.9 ppg, 9.1 rpg) who contribute on both ends of the floor.

Junior Khadijah Berger averages 4.8 points and 2.9 boards per game, while senior Ruth Sherrill chips in with 4.2 points and 6.0 rebounds an outing, including pulling down nine or more boards in each of the last four games. Senior Safiya Martin (1.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg) tops the team with 12 total blocks.

Temple averages 71.4 points per game, giving up 63.3. The Owls shoot 38.3% from the field and 33.0% from long-range. Temple forces an average of 16.6 turnovers per game, and out-rebounds opponents by a +4.4 margin.

LAST TIME OUT
Temple played lock-down second-half defense, allowing Rutgers just 11 points in the final 20 minutes, as the Owls grabbed a 48-37 win over the Scarlet Knights on the road. The victory was the first for the Owls over Rutgers since the 2010-11 season.

After trailing by as many as 13 points in the first half, Temple turned the tides on Rutgers beginning in the third quarter. The Scarlet Knights shot just 12.5% and Temple forced eight turnovers in the frame, to propel the Owls to the victory.

Senior Feyonda Fitzgerald led all players with 19 points, while tying a career-high with six steals. Junior Donnaizha Fountain had 15 points and seven rebounds, while classmate Tanaya Atkinson tallied eight points with seven boards. Ruth Sherrill led Temple to a 48-37 edge on the glass, including a 20-11 advantage in the second half, pulling down a team-best nine rebounds.

SCOUTING FAIRFIELD
Fairfield enters Thursday's game with a 4-6 overall record, falling in five out of their last six games.

The Stags offense is led by Kelsey Carey who averages 14.4 points per game, while Samantha Cooper scores 12.3 an outing. Both players lead the team on the glass, with Carey pulling down 6.2 rebounds per game, and Cooper averaging a team-high 7.7 per game. Casey Smith adds 11.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, while Kristine Miller chips in with 6.1 points and 4.3 rebounds a contest.

Fairfield shoots 38.1 from the field and 31.5% from three. The Stags average 57.2 points per game, giving up 59.4. They are also being out-rebounded by a -0.9 margin.

LAST TIME OUT
Fairfield has been idle since December 10, when the Stags fell on the road at La Salle, 68-61. Trailing by one at the half, Fairfield rallied to tie the game at 50-50 after three. From there, La Salle out-scored the Stags, 18-11 in the fourth to seal the win.

Samantha Cooper led Fairfield with 18 points including a 4-for-7 showing from behind the arc. Casey Smith finished with 15 points and five assists, while both Copper and Smith tallied seven rebounds each.

TEMPLE VS. THE STAGS
This will be the first ever meeting between Fairfield and Temple.

Game Notes (PDF)

Women's Basketball Hosts Fairfield in Thursday Matinee

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Players Mentioned

Tanaya Atkinson

Khadijah Berger

Alliya Butts

Feyonda Fitzgerald

Donnaizha Fountain

Safiya Martin

Ruth Sherrill

Temple University Athletics