Temple University Athletics
Wednesday, January 24
Dallas, Texas
8:00 PM EST
Temple University
at
SMU
Photo by: Zamani Feelings
Women’s Basketball Hits the Road to Face SMU
1.23.24 | Women's Basketball
DALLAS – The Temple women's basketball team (10-8, 4-2 AAC) will travel to Dallas, Texas to face off against the SMU Mustangs (8-10, 2-5 AAC) Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST. This will be the last time the Owls will face SMU as a conference foe, with the Mustangs set to depart the AAC at the conclusion of the academic year. The game will stream on ESPN+ and The Varsity Network App.
LAST TIME OUT: Charlotte 68 @ Temple 73
> Temple defeated conference leader Charlotte, 73-68 Sunday at The Liacouras Center.
> Temple established a six-point lead going into halftime, and never looked back. The Owls led by as many as 15 points in the third quarter.
> Charlotte made a strong comeback attempt, but timely baskets by guards Aleah Nelson and Tristen Taylor sealed the victory for the Cherry & White.
> Four Owls scored in double-figures (East, Nelson, Piper, and Taylor). Aleah Nelson scored the team-high with 14 points, including the 1500th in her career. She is the second player in Temple history to score 1500 points and pass for 500 assists.
THE OWLS
> Temple currently ranks 6th in the NCAA in offensive rebounds per game (17.2) and 13th in turnover margin (+6.2). The Owls also rank first in the AAC in assist/turnover ratio (+1.01) and are first in the conference in turnovers per game (14.2).
> Tiarra East (11.9 ppg) and Aleah Nelson (12.6 pgg) are scoring over 10 points per game. Nelson ranks 15th in the conference in points per game.
> Nelson stands out in ball distribution as well, ranking second in the conference in assist/turnover ratio (+1.96) and third in assists per game (4.4). Only five players in the nation have more combined points and assists than Nelson.
> On the boards, Rayne Tucker ranks 8th the AAC in rebounds per game with 7.4.
SCOUTING SMU
> Last season, SMU logged its second straight WNIT appearance following four straight years absent the postseason. The team amassed a 17-13 overall record.
> The Mustangs are 8-10, with a 2-5 record in AAC play. The squad started out with three straight wins but proceeded to drop the next five games. After starting the conference season out 2-2, SMU has lost the last three contests.
> Tiarra Young is one of the most explosive players in the American. The guard has built on a 2022-23 campaign where she won AAC Sixth Player of the Year. Young ranks third in the conference in scoring with 18.7 points per game.
> Toyelle Wilson is in her third season leading the SMU program. She previously spent three seasons as the head coach of Prairie View A&M, leading the Panthers to three straight SWAC championships from 2010-13. She spent a few seasons as an assistant at Baylor and Michigan. Wilson is 94-81 in her career and 39-38 in Dallas.
SERIES HISTORY
> Temple and SMU have played each other every season since Temple joined the AAC in 2013.
> TU is 10-6 against the Mustangs. The Owls have never lost more than two games in a row.
> Last season, the two sides met once in Philadelphia. Temple took the game, 68-62 on senior night. Tiarra East scored 21 points to go with six rebounds. Senior Brittany Garner nabbed a season-high 15 points.
UP NEXT
> Temple will face Tulane in the second of two straight road games. The game will tip Sunday, January 28 at 3 p.m. on ESPN+ and The Varsity Network App.
LAST TIME OUT: Charlotte 68 @ Temple 73
> Temple defeated conference leader Charlotte, 73-68 Sunday at The Liacouras Center.
> Temple established a six-point lead going into halftime, and never looked back. The Owls led by as many as 15 points in the third quarter.
> Charlotte made a strong comeback attempt, but timely baskets by guards Aleah Nelson and Tristen Taylor sealed the victory for the Cherry & White.
> Four Owls scored in double-figures (East, Nelson, Piper, and Taylor). Aleah Nelson scored the team-high with 14 points, including the 1500th in her career. She is the second player in Temple history to score 1500 points and pass for 500 assists.
THE OWLS
> Temple currently ranks 6th in the NCAA in offensive rebounds per game (17.2) and 13th in turnover margin (+6.2). The Owls also rank first in the AAC in assist/turnover ratio (+1.01) and are first in the conference in turnovers per game (14.2).
> Tiarra East (11.9 ppg) and Aleah Nelson (12.6 pgg) are scoring over 10 points per game. Nelson ranks 15th in the conference in points per game.
> Nelson stands out in ball distribution as well, ranking second in the conference in assist/turnover ratio (+1.96) and third in assists per game (4.4). Only five players in the nation have more combined points and assists than Nelson.
> On the boards, Rayne Tucker ranks 8th the AAC in rebounds per game with 7.4.
SCOUTING SMU
> Last season, SMU logged its second straight WNIT appearance following four straight years absent the postseason. The team amassed a 17-13 overall record.
> The Mustangs are 8-10, with a 2-5 record in AAC play. The squad started out with three straight wins but proceeded to drop the next five games. After starting the conference season out 2-2, SMU has lost the last three contests.
> Tiarra Young is one of the most explosive players in the American. The guard has built on a 2022-23 campaign where she won AAC Sixth Player of the Year. Young ranks third in the conference in scoring with 18.7 points per game.
> Toyelle Wilson is in her third season leading the SMU program. She previously spent three seasons as the head coach of Prairie View A&M, leading the Panthers to three straight SWAC championships from 2010-13. She spent a few seasons as an assistant at Baylor and Michigan. Wilson is 94-81 in her career and 39-38 in Dallas.
SERIES HISTORY
> Temple and SMU have played each other every season since Temple joined the AAC in 2013.
> TU is 10-6 against the Mustangs. The Owls have never lost more than two games in a row.
> Last season, the two sides met once in Philadelphia. Temple took the game, 68-62 on senior night. Tiarra East scored 21 points to go with six rebounds. Senior Brittany Garner nabbed a season-high 15 points.
UP NEXT
> Temple will face Tulane in the second of two straight road games. The game will tip Sunday, January 28 at 3 p.m. on ESPN+ and The Varsity Network App.
Players Mentioned
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