Women's Basketball Advances to WNIT Third Round; Owls Top Quinnipiac

Sunday, March 20

Hamden, CT

2:00 p.m.

Temple University

22-11

Quinnipiac University

25-9

Temple

Quinnipiac

Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University

Women's Basketball Advances to WNIT Third Round; Owls Top Quinnipiac

3.20.16 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA -- The Temple women's basketball team grabbed a nail-biting 64-62 win over Quinnipiac in the second round of the WNIT on Sunday. The Owls earned their second-straight road victory to move to 22-11, ending Quinnipiac's season at 25-9.

Temple advances to the WNIT third round, and will host Ohio University on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at McGonigle Hall.

Clinging to a one-point lead with under two minutes to play, Temple used a 6-2 run to gain some breathing room. A Tanaya Atkinson lay-up was the first strike, putting Temple up 60-57, but Quinnipiac answered with 25 seconds left making it 60-59. Junior Feyonda Fitzgerald then made a pair of three throws with 22 seconds on the clock and pulled down a huge defensive board at the other end of the floor. A pair of Owl free throws would put Temple up 64-59 with 3.1 seconds on the clock, making a QU three at the buzzer inconsequential, as the Owls survived and advanced.

Fitzgerald finished with 23 points for game-high honors, also adding five rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Atkinson and senior Erica Covile each notched double-doubles, as Atkinson had 16 points and 11 boards, and Covile ended with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore Alliya Butts had six points, five assists, and three steals, while classmate Donnaizha Fountain rounded out the box with five points and five rebounds.

Quinnipiac finished with a 42.9% to 34.4% advantage in shooting percentage, but the Owls held a rebounding edge, 43-39. Temple also forced 17 QU turnovers, converting the takeaways into 27 points.

A back-and-forth first quarter featured significant runs from both teams. Temple surged first, taking a 14-9 lead on an 8-2 run ended by an Atkinson lay-up. Quinnipiac answered with seven-straight to closed the first frame with a 16-14 advantage.

Temple re-gained the lead on back-to-back buckets from Fitzgerald and Covile, but from there, the lead changed hands twice more until the hosts led 24-22 with 4:25 to play in the second. Temple countered with stingy defense, forcing four turnovers en route to a 13-3 TU run. That surge gave the Owls a 35-27 lead at the break.

Fitzgerald had 12 points and three steals at the half, with Covile chipping in with nine points, seven boards and three takeaways. Atkinson had seven points and eight first-half rebounds. Quinnipiac was led by Paula Strautmane's 12 points.

Quinnipiac surged to start the third quarter, cutting the Temple lead to just two at 39-37. Fitzgerald and Atkinson then sparked a 6-0 Owls run to push it back to a 45-37 advantage, before Quinnipiac connected on a pair of threes, to close the gap to 48-45 after three.

Though Quinnipiac cut the Owl lead to one on three occassions in the fourth quarter, the Owls did not relinquish the advantage. Temple then sealed the victory with the final 6-2 surge, making a last-second three meaningless.

Quinnipiac's Strautmane had 19 points eight rebounds, and three blocks to lead the Bobcats, while Aryn McClure added 17 points.

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