Women's Basketball Sees Another Late Rally Fall Short

Friday, November 23

Miami, Fla.

1:00 PM

Temple University

2-3

Radford

3-1

Temple

Radford

Photo by: Michael Cahill

Women's Basketball Sees Another Late Rally Fall Short

11.23.18 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Temple falls to Radford in Miami Thanksgiving Classic Opener

MIAMI, Fla. — After rallying from a 14-point third quarter deficit to take the lead, the Temple women's basketball couldn't hang on, suffering a 56-50 defeat at the hands of Radford in the opening game of the Miami Thanksgiving Classic. The loss is the third-straight for the Owls, who dip to 2-3, while Radford improves to 3-1.

Keys to the Game
> In a slow first half, Temple went cold on offense, shooting just 23.1% (6-26) from the field, including only 18.2% (2-11) in the first quarter, but still, the Owls trailed by just six at the break.
> Radford opened the third quarter on a 10-2 run, putting Temple behind by 14, its largest deficit of the game.
> From there, a stout Temple defense emerged, as the Owls held the Highlanders to just one point over a six minute stretch, keying a 17-1 run and putting the Cherry and White up two.
> Radford quickly rebounded in the fourth quarter, using a 9-0 run that proved to be the final surge they needed, as Temple got as close as two late in the game, but could not get the tying bucket.
> Temple held a 41-38 rebounding edge, including 16-9 on the offensive glass, but poor shooting doomed the Owls, as the team shot just 32.8% for the game.
> Temple turned the ball over 10 times in the first frame, but cleaned it up with just six giveaways in the final 30 minutes of play.

Individual Highlights
> Graduate student Alliya Butts led Temple with 19 points, five assists, and four steals.
> Sophomore Mia Davis tallied 13 points with nine rebounds, but was limited to just 22 minutes with foul trouble.
> Freshman Marissa Mackins finished the day with seven points, including a season-best four steals.
> Junior Shannen Atkinson led the Owls with 12 rebounds, adding five points and three blocks.

First Quarter
> Doomed by 10 first quarter turnovers, the Owls had just four first quarter points, their lowest output of the season.
> After a Butts steal and bucket at the other end, Temple went cold, as Radford went on a 9-0 run.
> A Desiree Oliver bucket at 2:16 broke the scoring drought, but Radford hit a three to take a 12-4 lead after one.

Second Quarter
> Temple cleaned up its offense in the second frame, going without a turnover, and opening on an 8-3 run to close the gap to 15-12.
> Radford countered with five unanswered points to extend their lead back to eight, 20-12.
> Temple got two back in the closing seconds, as Butts drove through the lane for the final points of the frame, but the Owls trailed 20-14.

Third Quarter
> A 10-2 Radford opened the third quarter, as the Highlanders pushed it to their largest lead of the game at 32-18.
> Temple then began its rally as Davis scored 13 points as part of a 19-3 run, including a 17-1 final surge that put the Owls up 35-33.
> Radford got a lay-up at the buzzer to send the game into the fourth knotted at 35-35.

Fourth Quarter
> The teams traded baskets to open the fourth quarter, with Temple leading 40-39 after a Breanna Perry lay-up.
> Radford then put together a 9-0 run to go back up by eight, 48-40, with 5:39 on the clock.
> Temple chipped away, using a 10-4 surge, to make it a two point game (52-50) on a Mackins steal and lay-up.
> However, the Owls' run whittled the clock down to just 20 seconds, and in the final possessions, Temple was forced to foul, while being called for an offensive foul during the stretch.
> Radford closed the game going 4-for-4 from the line to finish it out.

Up Next
> Temple continues play at the Miami Thanksgiving Classic on Saturday, taking on the host and #22/23 Hurricanes at 2:00 p.m.