Women's Basketball Looks for Share of Big 5 Title on Wednesday

PHILADELPHIA -- The Temple women's basketball team will host cross-town rival Penn on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. at McGonigle Hall. The winner of Wednesday's game will claim a share of the Philadelphia Big 5 title with Villanova, who finished 3-1 in the city series.

SCOUTING TEMPLE
> Temple is 9-9 overall, with a 1-5 record in American Athletic Conference play.
> The Owls are 2-1 in Philadelphia Big 5 action.
> Temple is led by senior Tanaya Atkinson, who averages team-best totals of 22.6 points and 9.6 rebounds, while adding 2.8 assists per game, which ties for the team lead.
> Freshman Mia Davis is second on the team with 12.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per outing.
> Rookie Emani Mayo averages 8.2 points and 2.4 assists per game.
> Freshman Desiree Oliver adds 7.7 points and 2.8 assists per game, recently returning to the line-up
> Senior Khadijah Berger averages 4.6 points and a team-best 2.9 assists per game.
> As a team, Temple shoots 39.3% from the field and 30.0% from three.
> The Owls have out-rebounded opponents by an average of 2.8 boards per game, but have a negative turnover margin (-2.2).

LAST TIME OUT
> Visiting UConn, the top team in the nation, shot 63.8% from the field, including 61.5% from three to cruise to a 113-57 victory over Temple on Sunday.
> Mia Davis led the Owls with 19 points, while adding four rebounds.
> Tanaya Atkinson tallied 15 points.
> Breanna Perry had seven points and four rebounds.
> Desiree Oliver returned to action after missing the last eight games due to injury, scoring five points with a team-high four assists.

SCOUTING PENN
> Penn enters Wednesday's game with a 9-5 overall record, 2-1 in Ivy League play.
> The Quakers have a 2-1 mark against Big 5 opponents.
> Penn has three players in double-figures in scoring, led by a pair of post players.
> Freshman Eleah Parker averages 13.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
> Senior Michelle Nwokedi adds 11.3 points and a team-best 8.2 rebounds per outing.
> Parker and Nwokedi are flanked by senior guard Lauren Whitlatch, who averages 10.2 points per game.
> Senior Anna Ross adds 7.7 points and a team-high 5.9 assists per game.
> Junior Ashley Russell rounds out the Penn starting line-up with 7.0 points per game.
> As a team, the Quakers shoot 38.5% from the field, and 33.6% from three.
> The Quakers average 5.4 blocks per game and have a +3.5 turnover margin.

LAST TIME OUT
> Penn won a 79-77 thriller on the road at Villanova to keep themselves and Temple in the hunt for a share of the Big 5 title.
> Anna Ross drove the lane and converted a contested layup with a second remaining on the clock to seal the victory for the Quakers, their first over the Wildcats since 2001 and third all-time.
> Eleah Parker scored 18 points the second half, totaling a team-best 25 points on the night.
> Ross finished with 11 points and a game-high eight assists, with just one turnover.
> Lauren Whitlatch finished the game with 16 points, four rebounds, and a career-high five assists.
> Michelle Nwokedi joined the double-figure scoring party with 17 points, including a season-best two 3-pointers, while corralling eight boards.

THE MATCH-UP
> Temple leads the all-time series with Penn, 50-18, including 7-5 against the Quakers under Cardoza.
> The last five meetings between Temple and Penn have been decided by an average of just five points per game.

LAST TIME THEY MET
> Temple won the 2017 Philadelphia Big 5 Championship with a 63-53 win over Penn at the Palestra.
> Though Temple led for over 35 minutes in the contest, the largest lead for the Owls came in the final minute of play.
> Penn hung around in a gritty game, taking the lead 50-49 with 4:47 left in the fourth.
> Temple needed one more surge to keep its win streak alive, and the Owls did just that, going on a 12-2 run to finish out the victory.
> Junior Donnaizha Fountain led Temple with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
> Senior Feyonda Fitzgerald notched 13 points and seven assists, while junior Tanaya Atkinson collected 12 points with nine boards. > Junior Alliya Butts ended her night with 12 points, while senior Ruth Sherrill had eight rebounds.

Women's Basketball Looks for Share of Big 5 Title on Wednesday

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Players Mentioned

Tanaya Atkinson

Khadijah Berger

Alliya Butts

Mia Davis

Feyonda Fitzgerald

Donnaizha Fountain

Emani Mayo

Desiree Oliver

Breanna Perry

Ruth Sherrill

Temple University Athletics