Temple University Athletics
Saturday, March 18
Durham, N.C. - Cameron Indoor Stadium
6:30 p.m.
Temple University
vs
#10 Oregon
Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University
Women's Basketball Set for NCAA Match-Up vs. Oregon
3.17.17 | Women's Basketball
DURHAM, N.C. -- The seventh-seeded Temple women's basketball team will open the 2017 NCAA Tournament with a first round match-up against 10th-seeded Oregon. The Owls and Ducks face off on Saturday, March 18 at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2.Â
SCOUTING TEMPLE
Temple is 24-7 overall, finishing second in The American with a 13-3 mark. The Owls advanced to the American Athletic Conference semifinals before falling to third-seeded USF to end their tournament run.Â
Four Temple players average in double-figures in scoring, led by senior guard Feyonda Fitzgerald's 17.3 points and 7.3 assists per contest. Junior Alliya Butts averages 15.1 points per game with a team-best 66 steals, while classmate Donnaizha Fountain adds 14.1 points and 7.5 rebounds with 49 total steals. Junior Tanaya Atkinson rounds out Temple's excellent backcourt, averaging 13.0 points per game, leading the team with 8.5 rebounds per contest.
As a team, the Owls shoot 39.5% from the field and 32.8% from long range. Temple averages 69.9 points per game, with a +3.1 rebound margin and a +3.0 turnover margin. Nationally, the Owls rank in the top 25 in both fewest turnovers and offensive rebounds.
LAST TIME OUT
Temple fell to third-seeded USF in the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament, 63-58. Temple carried a lead through much of the first half, before a late second quarter run gave USF a lead they kept. The Owls turned an 11-point deficit into a one-possession game late in the fourth quarter, but time ran out for Temple.
Senior Feyonda Fitzgerald finished with 18 points and five assists, while junior Alliya Butts added 17 points. Junior Tanaya Atkinson tallied her ninth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while senior Safiya Martin had six points and eight rebounds.
SCOUTING OREGON
Oregon enters the NCAA Tournament with a 20-13 overall record. The Ducks earned an at-large bid out of the Pac-12, earning a #10 seed.Â
Oregon features the tallest NCAA women's basketball team in the nation, sharing the distinction with Texas and Kansas State. The Ducks start three freshmen, including ESPNW's National Freshman of the Year in Sabrina Ionescu. The guard averages 14.3 points. 6.6 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. Leading scorer and rebounder, Ruthy Hebard (14.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg) is joined by fellow freshman starter in Mallory McGwire (7.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg) to round out the outstanding rookies.
Other scoring threats for Oregon include Lexi Bando, the nation's most accurate three-point shooter (67-134, 50%), who averages 10.4 points per game, and Maite Cazorla who adds 7.7 points and 3.8 assists per game.Â
As a team, Oregon shoots 45% from the field and 39.6% from long-range, with their three point shooting ranking second in all of NCAA Division I.Â
LAST TIME OUT
Oregon won their first two Pac-12 tournament games, topping Arizona 70-63, and # 11 Washington, 70-69 before falling to #10 Stanford, 71-56 in the semifinals.Â
The Ducks stormed out of the gate, with a 25-16 lead at the end of the first quarter. But Stanford held Oregon to just nine points in the second quarter and led 36-34 at halftime. Oregon managed only 22 points in the second half. Sabrina Ionescu and sophomore Maite Cazorla each had a team-high 14 points.Â
THE OWLS VS. THE DUCKS
The Owls are 1-0 all-time against the Ducks, winning the only contest back in 2005 at Oregon, 51-46 as part of the Women's Sports Foundation Classic which Temple won with that victory.
NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES
Temple is 5-10 overall in NCAA Tournament play... The Owls will be making their 11th appearance in the NCAA Tournament... The Owls first made the NCAA Tournament in 1989... Temple had a string of eight-straight NCAA Tournaments snapped when they did not receive a bid in 2012... The Owls' highest ever NCAA Tournament seed was #6 and it's happened for Temple twice -- 2005 and 2006... The Owls average 59.4 points per game in NCAA play, giving up 67.7... The most points Temple has ever scored in an NCAA Tournament game is 90 in a 90-80 win over #9 Holy Cross in 1989... Temple has never made it past the second round of the tournament... The Owls have one NCAA upset in program history, a 63-45 victory over #7 Arizona State (as a #10 seed) in 2011... The Owls have lost to a lower seeded team only once, a 64-58 loss to #11 Hartford as a #6 seed in 2006.
NCAA Tournament Notes | Video Preview | Practice Press Conference | Travel/Practice Day Photo Gallery
SCOUTING TEMPLE
Temple is 24-7 overall, finishing second in The American with a 13-3 mark. The Owls advanced to the American Athletic Conference semifinals before falling to third-seeded USF to end their tournament run.Â
Four Temple players average in double-figures in scoring, led by senior guard Feyonda Fitzgerald's 17.3 points and 7.3 assists per contest. Junior Alliya Butts averages 15.1 points per game with a team-best 66 steals, while classmate Donnaizha Fountain adds 14.1 points and 7.5 rebounds with 49 total steals. Junior Tanaya Atkinson rounds out Temple's excellent backcourt, averaging 13.0 points per game, leading the team with 8.5 rebounds per contest.
As a team, the Owls shoot 39.5% from the field and 32.8% from long range. Temple averages 69.9 points per game, with a +3.1 rebound margin and a +3.0 turnover margin. Nationally, the Owls rank in the top 25 in both fewest turnovers and offensive rebounds.
LAST TIME OUT
Temple fell to third-seeded USF in the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament, 63-58. Temple carried a lead through much of the first half, before a late second quarter run gave USF a lead they kept. The Owls turned an 11-point deficit into a one-possession game late in the fourth quarter, but time ran out for Temple.
Senior Feyonda Fitzgerald finished with 18 points and five assists, while junior Alliya Butts added 17 points. Junior Tanaya Atkinson tallied her ninth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while senior Safiya Martin had six points and eight rebounds.
SCOUTING OREGON
Oregon enters the NCAA Tournament with a 20-13 overall record. The Ducks earned an at-large bid out of the Pac-12, earning a #10 seed.Â
Oregon features the tallest NCAA women's basketball team in the nation, sharing the distinction with Texas and Kansas State. The Ducks start three freshmen, including ESPNW's National Freshman of the Year in Sabrina Ionescu. The guard averages 14.3 points. 6.6 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. Leading scorer and rebounder, Ruthy Hebard (14.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg) is joined by fellow freshman starter in Mallory McGwire (7.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg) to round out the outstanding rookies.
Other scoring threats for Oregon include Lexi Bando, the nation's most accurate three-point shooter (67-134, 50%), who averages 10.4 points per game, and Maite Cazorla who adds 7.7 points and 3.8 assists per game.Â
As a team, Oregon shoots 45% from the field and 39.6% from long-range, with their three point shooting ranking second in all of NCAA Division I.Â
LAST TIME OUT
Oregon won their first two Pac-12 tournament games, topping Arizona 70-63, and # 11 Washington, 70-69 before falling to #10 Stanford, 71-56 in the semifinals.Â
The Ducks stormed out of the gate, with a 25-16 lead at the end of the first quarter. But Stanford held Oregon to just nine points in the second quarter and led 36-34 at halftime. Oregon managed only 22 points in the second half. Sabrina Ionescu and sophomore Maite Cazorla each had a team-high 14 points.Â
THE OWLS VS. THE DUCKS
The Owls are 1-0 all-time against the Ducks, winning the only contest back in 2005 at Oregon, 51-46 as part of the Women's Sports Foundation Classic which Temple won with that victory.
NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES
Temple is 5-10 overall in NCAA Tournament play... The Owls will be making their 11th appearance in the NCAA Tournament... The Owls first made the NCAA Tournament in 1989... Temple had a string of eight-straight NCAA Tournaments snapped when they did not receive a bid in 2012... The Owls' highest ever NCAA Tournament seed was #6 and it's happened for Temple twice -- 2005 and 2006... The Owls average 59.4 points per game in NCAA play, giving up 67.7... The most points Temple has ever scored in an NCAA Tournament game is 90 in a 90-80 win over #9 Holy Cross in 1989... Temple has never made it past the second round of the tournament... The Owls have one NCAA upset in program history, a 63-45 victory over #7 Arizona State (as a #10 seed) in 2011... The Owls have lost to a lower seeded team only once, a 64-58 loss to #11 Hartford as a #6 seed in 2006.
NCAA Tournament Notes | Video Preview | Practice Press Conference | Travel/Practice Day Photo Gallery
Players Mentioned
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