Temple University Athletics
Tuesday, January 2
Philadelphia, Pa.
7:00 PM EST
Temple University
vs
North Texas
Photo by: Zamani Feelings
Women’s Basketball Hosts North Texas
12.31.23 | Women's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA – The Temple women's basketball team (7-6, 1-0 AAC) will close out six straight games in Philadelphia with North Texas (10-3, 0-1 AAC) this Tuesday, January 2 at Liacouras Center. Tip-off will be at 7 p.m., the game will air on ESPN+ and The Varsity Network App. Tickets are available at Owlstix.com.
This will be the second American Athletic Conference newcomer from Texas Temple has faced in a row after hosting UTSA on Saturday.
LAST TIME OUT: UTSA 58 @ Temple 71
> Temple defeated conference newcomer UTSA, 71-58. It is the fifth straight year the Owls have won their AAC opener.
> The teams were neck and neck for almost the entire game. Temple led by just one point at halftime (29-28).
> The Owls took a six-point lead into the end of the third quarter, before UTSA went on a 7-0 run to stake a 53-51 lead. Temple responded with a 6-0 run of its own to retake the advantage. The Cherry & White never looked back, outscoring UTSA 20-12 in the fourth quarter.
> For the fourth time this season, five or more Owls scored in double figures (East, Gary, Nelson, Piper, and Tucker). Rayne Tucker put up 10 points and 11 rebounds, she is the first Owl to record back-to-back double-doubles since Mia Davis in November of 2021. In the fourth quarter, she grabbed her 500th career rebound.
THE OWLS
> Temple has dominated the offensive glass, continuing to rank 4th in the nation in rebounding on that end of the court (17.5 orpg). The Owls have also moved up the charts in turnover margin, ranking 12th nationally in the category (+7.85). The team leads in the American in turnovers per game (13.0) and assist to turnover ratio (+1.19).
> Aleah Nelson ranks second in the AAC in assists per game (4.9). She is scoring 11.3 points per contest. The point guard has now passed for at least four assists in eight straight games. Nelson ranks 11th in Division I among active players in assists with 519, four behind George Amoore of Virginia Tech. She is one of only six players in Division I with at least 500 assists and 1400 points. In the last four games, she is averaging 13.8 ppg.
> Tiarra East has led Temple in scoring since early December with 11.9 ppg. The wing has now scored in double figures in seven straight games, averaging 14.1 points during that stretch. In her last three games she in pulling down 5.3 rpg.
> Tucker has recorded a double-double in three of the last four games. Her 7.5 rebounds per game check in at 7th in the American. The forward is 3rd on the team in scoring (9.8 ppg). Tucker's four double-doubles on the season rank 3rd in the American.
SCOUTING NORTH TEXAS
> UNT spent last season in Conference-USA where the team earned an 11-20 overall record, and an 8-12 in conference record. Following the season, North Texas all-time leading scorer and head coach Jalie Mitchell departed the program after eight seasons leading the Mean Green.
> The Mean Green hold a record of 10-3, the second best in the American and an average margin of victory of 15.3, also the top of the conference. UNT checks in at 76 in the NET, second in the league.
> Desiray Kernal headlines for North Texas. The forward ranks sixth in the American in scoring (16.5 ppg) and second in rebounding (8.4 rpg), she has accumulated five double-doubles this season. Other players to watch include Tommisha Lampkin (13.8 ppg) and Jaaucklyn Moore (11.2 ppg).
> Jason Burton is in his 10th season as a women's basketball head coach and his 1st at UNT. Burton spent the previous nine seasons as the head coach of Texas A&M-Commerce where he was highly successful, building the program into a Division II powerhouse before leading the team in its first season at the Division I level in 2022-23. He is 181-92 in his career and 10-2 at North Texas this season.
SERIES HISTORY
> This is the first time Temple and UNT have met on the court. This is The Mean Green's first game in the American.
> This will be the 41st matchup the Owls have had against schools from the state of Texas. North Texas is the eighth Texas school Temple has faced; the Owls are 22-18 in those games.
UP NEXT
> Temple will leave the city of Philadelphia for the first time in over a month as the Cherry & White head to Tulsa to face The Golden Hurricane on Saturday. The game will tip at 3:00 pm EST on ESPN+ and The Varsity Network App.
This will be the second American Athletic Conference newcomer from Texas Temple has faced in a row after hosting UTSA on Saturday.
LAST TIME OUT: UTSA 58 @ Temple 71
> Temple defeated conference newcomer UTSA, 71-58. It is the fifth straight year the Owls have won their AAC opener.
> The teams were neck and neck for almost the entire game. Temple led by just one point at halftime (29-28).
> The Owls took a six-point lead into the end of the third quarter, before UTSA went on a 7-0 run to stake a 53-51 lead. Temple responded with a 6-0 run of its own to retake the advantage. The Cherry & White never looked back, outscoring UTSA 20-12 in the fourth quarter.
> For the fourth time this season, five or more Owls scored in double figures (East, Gary, Nelson, Piper, and Tucker). Rayne Tucker put up 10 points and 11 rebounds, she is the first Owl to record back-to-back double-doubles since Mia Davis in November of 2021. In the fourth quarter, she grabbed her 500th career rebound.
THE OWLS
> Temple has dominated the offensive glass, continuing to rank 4th in the nation in rebounding on that end of the court (17.5 orpg). The Owls have also moved up the charts in turnover margin, ranking 12th nationally in the category (+7.85). The team leads in the American in turnovers per game (13.0) and assist to turnover ratio (+1.19).
> Aleah Nelson ranks second in the AAC in assists per game (4.9). She is scoring 11.3 points per contest. The point guard has now passed for at least four assists in eight straight games. Nelson ranks 11th in Division I among active players in assists with 519, four behind George Amoore of Virginia Tech. She is one of only six players in Division I with at least 500 assists and 1400 points. In the last four games, she is averaging 13.8 ppg.
> Tiarra East has led Temple in scoring since early December with 11.9 ppg. The wing has now scored in double figures in seven straight games, averaging 14.1 points during that stretch. In her last three games she in pulling down 5.3 rpg.
> Tucker has recorded a double-double in three of the last four games. Her 7.5 rebounds per game check in at 7th in the American. The forward is 3rd on the team in scoring (9.8 ppg). Tucker's four double-doubles on the season rank 3rd in the American.
SCOUTING NORTH TEXAS
> UNT spent last season in Conference-USA where the team earned an 11-20 overall record, and an 8-12 in conference record. Following the season, North Texas all-time leading scorer and head coach Jalie Mitchell departed the program after eight seasons leading the Mean Green.
> The Mean Green hold a record of 10-3, the second best in the American and an average margin of victory of 15.3, also the top of the conference. UNT checks in at 76 in the NET, second in the league.
> Desiray Kernal headlines for North Texas. The forward ranks sixth in the American in scoring (16.5 ppg) and second in rebounding (8.4 rpg), she has accumulated five double-doubles this season. Other players to watch include Tommisha Lampkin (13.8 ppg) and Jaaucklyn Moore (11.2 ppg).
> Jason Burton is in his 10th season as a women's basketball head coach and his 1st at UNT. Burton spent the previous nine seasons as the head coach of Texas A&M-Commerce where he was highly successful, building the program into a Division II powerhouse before leading the team in its first season at the Division I level in 2022-23. He is 181-92 in his career and 10-2 at North Texas this season.
SERIES HISTORY
> This is the first time Temple and UNT have met on the court. This is The Mean Green's first game in the American.
> This will be the 41st matchup the Owls have had against schools from the state of Texas. North Texas is the eighth Texas school Temple has faced; the Owls are 22-18 in those games.
UP NEXT
> Temple will leave the city of Philadelphia for the first time in over a month as the Cherry & White head to Tulsa to face The Golden Hurricane on Saturday. The game will tip at 3:00 pm EST on ESPN+ and The Varsity Network App.
Players Mentioned
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