Women’s Basketball Rallies for Huge Second Half Comeback to Defeat Tulsa, 58-48

Saturday, January 6

Tulsa, Okla.

3:00 PM EST

Temple University

8-7,2-1AAC

Tulsa

12-4,2-1AAC

Temple

Tulsa

Photo by: Tim McCall

Women’s Basketball Rallies for Huge Second Half Comeback to Defeat Tulsa, 58-48

1.6.24 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

TULSA, Ok. – The Temple women's basketball team (8-7, 2-1 AAC) defeated the American Athletic Conference leading Tulsa Golden Hurricane (12-4, 2-1 AAC), 58-48. The Owls trailed by as many as 12 points in the third quarter, but a 13-0 run late in the third into the early fourth quarter gave Temple its first lead since the first frame with 9:17 left in the contest. The Owls did not give up the advantage, rallying for its largest comeback of the Coach Richardson era.

The Owls as a team set a new season-high in rebounds with 51. Aleah Nelson led the Cherry & White in points with 17, her fourth straight game in double-figures. Freshman guard Tristen Taylor impressed with 15 points and tied her career-high with seven rebounds.

First Quarter: Temple 18, Tulsa 18
> The Golden Hurricane scored the first four points of the game, before Aleah Nelson got the scoring started for Temple with a three-pointer from the left side (4-3, Tulsa).
> The Owls found a rhythm and took a 7-5 lead as Rayne Tucker converted a layup with 7:05 remaining in the quarter.
> Both teams exchanged buckets midway through the quarter, as Temple held a 12-10 lead at the midway point of the first frame.
> Both teams exchanged three-pointers late in the quarter, as Tristen Taylor's three from the top of the key put the Owls up 18-15 with just over two minutes remaining in the period.
> Neither team managed to score a field goal in the final two minutes, with a flurry of free-throws moving the score to an 18-18 deadlock at the end of the first quarter.
> Temple saw a balanced scoring effort in the first quarter, as five Owls scored points. The Owls held a 16-12 advantage in team rebounding and committed just one turnover. Ten offensive rebounds in the frame led to eight second-chance points.

Second Quarter: Temple 22, Tulsa 31
> Tulsa got the action started in the second quarter, converting a corner three in front of Temple's bench before giving way to 3:53 of scoreless play. Tulsa scored five points in quick order following the drought to take a 26-18 lead.
> The Owls scored their first points of the second quarter off a layup from Ines Piper that trimmed the deficit to 28-20 at the 2:56 mark.
> The Cherry & White cut the deficit to six points, but a three by Tulsa pushed the Golden Hurricane's lead to 31-22 at halftime.
> Taylor and Tarriyonna Gary led the way on offense with five points each, while Demi Washington grabbed five rebounds.
> Temple dominated the glass, out rebounding Tulsa, 27-20 in the first half

Third Quarter: Temple 40, Tulsa 41
> After a scoreless minute, Tulsa began the third quarter with a three-point play, Temple countered with a Nelson runner (34-24, Tulsa).
> Nelson followed up her runner with a three and a Taylor bucket to cap off a 7-0 run (34-29, Temple).
> Tulsa responded with a 7-0 run, putting Temple behind 41-29 at the media timeout. The Owls struck back with a 11-0 run of their own to close out the quarter trailing by just one point.
> Nelson (7) and Washington (6) led the way offensively for the Owls in the third quarter. Temple limited Tulsa to 2-7 (28.6%) from the field in the frame and held the Golden Hurricane scoreless for the final 4:36 of the quarter.

Fourth Quarter: Temple 58, Tulsa 48
> Temple continued its run into the fourth quarter, taking a 42-41 lead off a basket by Taylor that capped off a 13-0 run.
> Both teams exchanged baskets back and forth, as baskets from Taylor and Nelson helped the Owls build their largest lead of the game with 6:42 remaining in regulation (50-45, TU).
> Neither team was able to find the bottom of the basket for 2:22 of gametime before Nelson broke the stalemate with a pair of free throws.
> The Owls extended their lead to 54-45, before the Golden Hurricane clawed back with a three-pointer with 2:20 remaining.
> The Cherry & White managed the clock well and held Tulsa scoreless for the final two minutes of the game, walking away with a 58-48 victory.
> Nelson scored six fourth-quarter points, including a 4-4 clip from the free-throw strike.

Game Notes
> This game was Temple's first matchup away from Philadelphia in over a month.
> The Owls have an 11-4 record all-time against the Golden Hurricane.
> Today marked Tarriyonna Gary's first appearance in the starting line up since 11/22/23 against Saint Joseph's.
> Aleah Nelson has scored in double figures 80 times in her career, including 34 times in Cherry & White. She has scored in double figures in five out of her last six games.

Statistically Speaking
> Tristen Taylor's 15 points are the first time she has scored in double figures since 12/1 against Xavier.
> Demi Washington set a new season-high in rebounds with nine, also tying her career-high.
> Tarriyonna Gary tied her season-high rebounds with four.
> Tristen Taylor tied her career-high in rebounds with seven
> Temple as a team set a new season-high in rebounds with 51, beating 48, a mark the Owls have reached twice. 51 is the most Temple has had in a game since hitting the same number on 2/2/22 against Wichita State.

Up Next
> Temple continues its road trip with a visit to Wichita State on Tuesday. The game will tip at 7 p.m. EST on ESPN+ and The Varsity Network App.