Women's Basketball Falls to #6 South Carolina 78-71

Saturday, December 7

Philadelphia, Pa.

3:00 PM

Temple University

5-5,0-1AAC

South Carolina

9-1,0-0SEC

South Carolina

Temple

Photo by: Zamani Feelings

Women's Basketball Falls to #6 South Carolina 78-71

12.7.19 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

PHILADELPHIA — The Temple women's basketball team hung tough with #6 South Carolina but ultimately fell 78-71 to the national powerhouse on Saturday afternoon at McGonigle Hall. The result evens the Owls' record to 5-5, while South Carolina improves to 9-1 on the season.

Keys to the Game
> Despite missing their second leading scorer and top playmaker, Ashley Jones, due to injury, Temple stayed with South Carolina for much of the game.
> Extended Gamecock runs at the end of the first and the beginning of the fourth proved to be the difference maker.
> Temple out-shot South Carolina by a slim margin (36.6% to 35.1%) but had 19 turnovers to South Carolina's nine.
> The Owls also out-rebounded the Gamecocks, 50-46.

Individual Highlights
> Temple sophomore Marissa Mackins had a career night, draining five threes in a 26-point effort, adding four assists.
> Graduate student Lena Niang tallied her first career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
> Junior Mia Davis also nabbed a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
> Elsewhere, junior Emani Mayo had a season high nine points, while sophomore Alexa Williamson and freshman Asonah Alexander each had five. Alexander added six boards and a team-high six assists to her stat sheet.

First Quarter
> Temple traded blows with South Carolina through most of the quarter.
> The Gamecocks had the early lead, but Temple tied it as late as 11-11.
> South Carolina went up 15-11, before a Niang three closed it to 15-14 with 1:58 to play.
> However, the visitors responded with a 7-1 closing run to lead 22-15 after one.

Second Quarter
> Both teams had big runs in the second frame, but Temple outscored the Gamecocks 18-15 to close the gap to 37-33.
> South Carolina opened the quarter on fire, going up 29-17 early, the largest lead of the game.
> Temple responded, by using a 14-7 run to close the half, cutting the lead to just four points at the break.

Third Quarter
> Mackins opened the third with a hot hand, draining back-to-back threes to give the Owls their first lead of the game, 39-37.
> South Carolina answered, going back up 46-42, with a 9-3 run.
> The lead changed hands twice more with Temple up 49-48 with one minute to play, before the Gamecocks scored five unanswered to lead by four, 53-49, after three.

Fourth Quarter
> An early 8-3 run pushed the South Carolina lead to nine, 61-52.
> Temple got a Davis bucket to interrupt the run, but the Gamecocks, pushed the lead to double digits with another surge.
> South Carolina led by as many as 15 before Temple used one final surge to get it down to six with 48 seconds to play.
> The Gamecocks hit from the line and then added a jumper before Mackins beat the buzzer with a long three to set the final to 78-71.

Up Next:
> Temple jumps back into Philadelphia Big 5 play, hosting Villanova at McGonigle Hall at 5:00 p.m.