Women's Basketball Falls in Tight Big 5 Battle to #20/22 Villanova

Sunday, December 10

McGonigle Hall

2:00 p.m.

Temple University

7-3

Villanova

9-0

Villanova

Temple

Photo by: Carli Showmaker

Women's Basketball Falls in Tight Big 5 Battle to #20/22 Villanova

12.10.17 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

By: John Carey, Athletics Communications Intern

PHILADELPHIA – In the ever-exciting Big 5, the battle between Temple (7-3), and Villanova (9-0), was just that. A back-and-forth affair concluded with the Owls coming up just short, falling 69-65 at McGonigle Hall on Sunday afternoon.

KEYS TO THE GAME
> Temple led early in the game, before Villanova used a 14-8 second quarter to grab a 27-25 advantage at the half.
> After three, the Owls stayed within two points, but the Wildcats used a 10-2 run to take control in the fourth.
> Temple got the lead to just three late in the game, but couldn't finish out the upset.
> Both teams shot just under 40% from the field, but Villanova was 36% (9-25) from deep, compared to Temple's 20% (4-20).
> The Owls did outrebound the Wildcats 49-37, grabbing 17 of those off of the offensive glass.

INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS
> Senior Tanaya Atkinson led the way for the Owls with another double-double, scoring 24 points, and grabbing a season-high 18 rebounds.
> Freshman Mia Davis was a rebound shy of a double-double, scoring 13 points in the contest.
> Junior Deja Reynolds added eight points, while freshman Emani Mayo had seven.

FIRST QUARTER
> The Wildcats opened the game on an 8-0 run.
> The Owls answered with a 9-0 run of their own, with Reynolds leading the way, scoring 5 points.
> The Owls finished the quarter outscoring the Wildcats 8-5, with Mia Davis hitting a clutch jumper for the last points of the quarter, to put Temple ahead, 17-13.

SECOND QUARTER
> Davis and Atkinson extended the Owls lead to eight early in the quarter.
> The Wildcats came back with a 14-4 run to take the lead 27-25 heading into halftime.
> The leading scorer for the half was Mia Davis with nine points, adding seven rebounds.

THIRD QUARTER
> The Owls opened the quarter on an 11-5 run to take the lead 36-32, highlighted by a clutch three pointer from senior Khadijah Berger.
> The Wildcats responded with an 8-2 run to take the lead 40-38.
> Atkinson highlighted the quarter with a four-point play and wrapped up her ninth double-double in 10 games.
> The quarter concluded with the teams trading baskets, but the Wildcats took a 46-44 at the buzzer.

FOURTH QUARTER
> The first two minutes of the quarter featured more back and forth hoops, with the Owls still trailing by two, 51-49.
> The Wildcats then went on a 10-2 run to increase their lead.
> The Owls did not give up, answering with a 10-3 run, highlighted with a banked three-pointer by Mayo, and two tough lay-ups from Atkinson, cutting the deficit to three with 1:13 to play.
> That is the closest the Owls would get however, as the Wildcats held off the Owls in the final minute, finishing out the 69-65 win.

UP NEXT
> The Owls will stay home at McGonigle Hall on Saturday, Dec. 16 to face Marist at 2:00 p.m.