Temple University Athletics
Temple University
4-5,0-0AAC
Penn
6-5,0-0Ivy League
Nelson Becomes Third Player in History to Pass for 500 Assists; Women’s Basketball Defeats Penn, 61-47
12.10.23 | Women's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA – Temple (4-5, 0-0) defeated the Penn Quakers (6-5, 0-0) by a score of 61-47, at the Liacouras Center. This is Temple's second win in the last three games, and first Big 5 win of the season. The Owls' defense held Penn to a season-low shooting percentage by a Temple opponent, 28.8%.
Aleah Nelson made history in the third quarter, becoming only the third Temple women's basketball player in program history, and seventh player in Temple basketball history, to pass for 500 assists. Ines Piper led the Owls in scoring with a season-high 16 points, she also grabbed 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the season.
First Quarter: Temple 14, Penn 10
> Nelson started the scoring for Temple, hitting a contested layup in transition to put the Owls up 2-0 early. The lead held for the next few minutes as the teams combined for 1-12 to start the game. Penn hit a three with 6:22 left in the first.
> Nelson scored or assisted on Temple's first three baskets, as the Owls built a 6-3 lead with 4:34 remaining in the quarter.
> The two sides battled in a fast paced first quarter. Temple led 14-10 at the end of the first. Demi Washington provided a strong rebounding presence, hauling in five boards.
> The Owls held the Quakers scoreless in the final 2:23 of the first quarter.
Second Quarter: Temple 32, Penn 21
> The Owls started the second quarter on a high note, as Tarriyonna Gary converted a corner three through a foul by Penn. Gary missed the free-throw, but the Owls secured the offensive rebound and extended their lead to 19-10 with a mid-range jump shot by Tristen Taylor.
> Temple started the quarter 4-7 from the field going into the second quarter media timeout, behind two jumpers from Taylor (23-16, TU).
> Temple forced Penn to go scoreless in the final 2:39 of the first half.
> Temple led Penn 32-21 at halftime, dominating the points in the paint statistic 22-6. Temple played aggressively on defense, totaling nine steals compared to just one for Penn.
Third Quarter: Temple 45, Penn 34
> Penn opened the second half with a three, Temple responded with a 4-0 run (35-24, TU).
> The Quakers scored the next five points to cut the lead down to six, the team combined for 4-18 shooting to open the half.
> Nelson found Piper for a wing jumper to give the Owls a 39-29 advantage with 3:47 remaining in the quarter. The assist marked the 500th of Nelson's career.
> TU crushed Penn from the field, holding them without a basket from the field for the final three minutes of play.
>Eight of Temple's 13 points in the third quarter came off of turnovers forced by the Owls. Temple recorded six steals in the third quarter, bringing their total in the game to 14.
Fourth Quarter: Temple 61, Penn 47
> Despite the Owls' 3:37 scoring drought to start the fourth quarter, Temple was able to force three turnovers to continue to set the tone on defense. Neither team scored a field goal through the first 5:15 of the fourth quarter.
> At the halfway mark in the quarter, Temple held a 48-34 lead off three free-throws.
> Penn rallied a 7-2 run to cut Temple's lead to 52-43 with 2:40 remaining.
> East's charge on the defensive end followed with Rayne Tucker's layup with 1:53 shifted momentum back to Temple, giving the Owls a late 54-43 lead.
> With 1:30 remaining, Taylor delivered a half-court pass to Tucker for a layup to put the Owls up 56-45. Piper added two more free throws to stretch the lead to 13 with just over one minute remaining.
> The Owls closed out the game, forcing Penn to miss their last six field goals.
Game Notes
> Excluding the 2020-21 Covid season when the Owls only played Villanova, this is the 21st straight season that Temple has won at least one Big 5 game (dating back to 1999-2000).
> Nelson's assist midway through the third quarter increased her career total to 500, making her just the third player in program history to record 500 in a career. She finished the game with five assists and six points.
> Wing Demi Washington tied for season-high for the fourth time this year with six rebounds.
> The Owls racked up 15 steals, the most the team has had since 19 against Memphis on 3-4-21.
> Temple controlled the glass, winning the rebounding battle, 46-40.
> Piper recorded her second double-double of the season, scoring a team-high 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Her first double-double this season came against Delaware State on 11/6/23. Piper's 16 points is a season high. She previously scored 15 points against Delaware State on 11/6/23.
Up Next
> Temple will play its second straight home game as the Owls host regional rival Delaware on Thursday, December 14 at 7 p.m. The game will stream on ESPN+ and the Varsity Network App. Tickets are available to purchase at Owlstix.com.
