WBB Looks for Outright Big 5 Title at Penn on Wednesday

PHILADELPHIA -- The Temple women's basketball team heads to Penn on Wednesday, wrapping up Big 5 play against the Quakers at 7:00 p.m. at the Palestra. Temple has already clinched at least a share of the Big 5 for the first time since the 2010-11 season and a win over Penn would give the Owls the title outright for the ninth time in program history.

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SCOUTING TEMPLE
Temple is 15-3 overall with a 6-0 mark in American Athletic Conference play and a 3-0 record against Philadelphia Big 5 opponents. The Owls have won 11-straight games, a streak that began on December 10 with an 83-48 win at Villanova.

Four Temple players average in double-figures in scoring, led by senior guard Feyonda Fitzgerald's 18.4 points and 7.5 assists per contest, with the assist number ranked her fifth in the nation. Junior Alliya Butts averages 15.4 points per game with a team-best 38 steals. Junior Donnaizha Fountain averages 13.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, while classmate Tanaya Atkinson (12.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg) contributes on both ends of the floor.

Senior Ruth Sherrill has come on strong since breaking into the starting line-up and averages 5.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Junior Khadijah Berger averages 4.2 points and 2.9 boards per game, while senior Safiya Martin (1.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg) tops the team with 23 total blocks.

Temple averages 72.0 points per game, giving up 59.6. The Owls shoot 40% from the field and 32.3% from long-range. Temple forces an average of 17.1 turnovers per game, and out-rebounds opponents by a +5.7 margin.

LAST TIME OUT
A 16-0 run early in the third quarter led Temple to its 11th-straight victory, a 66-51 win at home against conference-foe Memphis. The Owls trailed by as many as seven before the third-quarter surge, going up by as many as 22 points before closing out the victory.

Junior Donnaizha Fountain led all players with 19 points, notching her third-straight game as Temple's leading scorer. Senior Ruth Sherrill tied a career high with 13 points, also nabbing a career-best four blocks with five rebounds. Junior Alliya Butts added 12 points, five assists, and four steals, while senior Feyonda Fitzgerald, who only attempted four field goals in the game, finished with five points and a game-best nine assists.

SCOUTING PENN
Penn is 9-5 overall with a 3-0 mark in the Ivy League and an 0-3 record against Big 5 opponents.

The Quakers are led by twin towers, Michelle Nwokedi and Sydney Stipanovich, who are both nearly averaging double-doubles. Nwokedi puts up 14.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, while Stipanovich averaged 12.4 points and 9.5 rebounds an outing. Elsewhere, Anna Ross (7.6 ppg), Lauren Whitlatch (67.ppg), and Kasey Chambers (6.3) make up the back-court and are all threats to score from beyond-the-arc. Beth Brzozowski comes off the bench to score 4.9 points per game and is another three-point shooter.

As a team, Penn averages 60.1 points per game but gives up only 52.9 to opponents. The Quakers shoot 37.6% from the field and 34.7% from long-range. Penn turns the ball over just 12.0 times per game, while forcing 14.1 turnovers from opponents.

LAST TIME OUT
Penn has been idle since last Wednesday's 60-48 loss to Villanova at the Palestra. Tied 23-23 at the half, Penn grabbed a 31-27 lead early in the third quarter, before Villanova ultimately pulled away in the final 10 minutes of action.

Penn was led by the double-digit efforts of Anna Ross, who tallied 12 points, while Sydney Stipanovich added 11 points and a team-best seven rebounds. Kasey Chambers and Michelle Nwokedi both added eight points in the loss.

THE OWLS VS. THE QUAKERS
Temple leads the all-time series with Penn, 50-18, but are just 6-5 against the Quakers under Cardoza.

The last four meetings between Temple and Penn have been decided by an average of just three points per game, with the Quakers taking the last match-up, 60-54.

LAST TIME THEY MET: January 21, 2016 - Penn 60, Temple 54
Temple rallied from a 10-point third quarter deficit, taking the lead with 3:40 to play, but ultimately fell to Penn, 60-54.

After falling behind 45-35 late in the third quarter, Temple mounted a comeback that saw the Owls take the lead with under four to play. Penn responded with a go-ahead three on the nest possession and didn't look back, as the Quakers finished out the victory.

Alliya Butts led the Owls with 16 points, while Tanaya Atkinson had 14 points and seven rebounds. Donnaizha Fountain had eight points and seven boards, while graduate student Ugo Nwaigwe finished with a career-high six blocks, also adding five points.

For Penn, Michelle Nwokedi finished with a double-doubles of 21 points and 16 boards, while Sydney Stipanovich had nine points and 16 boards.

BIG 5 TITLE
With a win at Villanova on December 10, Temple clinched at least a share of the Philadelphia Big 5 Championship for the first time since the 2010-11 season. Temple is now 3-0 in the Big 5 and can win the title outright with a win at Penn on Wednesday. A loss would force the Owls to share the title with Villanova, who finished 3-1 in Big 5 play.

Temple now has 10 Big 5 titles in school history (eight outright), with Cardoza claiming three in her time on North Broad Street. Dawn Staley won a record five Big 5 titles for the Owls, with Linda McDonald winning two.

WBB Looks for Outright Big 5 Title at Penn on Wednesday

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Players Mentioned

Tanaya Atkinson

Khadijah Berger

Alliya Butts

Feyonda Fitzgerald

Donnaizha Fountain

Safiya Martin

Ugo Nwaigwe

Ruth Sherrill

Temple University Athletics