Temple Women’s Basketball Lifts The Trophy In The Inaugural Women’s Big 5 Classic Championship

Friday, December 6

Villanova, PA

8:00 PM

Temple University

5-3,0-0AAC

Villanova University

5-4,0-0Big East

Temple

Villanova

Photo by: Lauren Black

Temple Women’s Basketball Lifts The Trophy In The Inaugural Women’s Big 5 Classic Championship

12.6.24 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

BRYN MAWR, Pa - Temple Women's Basketball (5-3, AAC 0-0) defeated Villanova (5-4, 0-0 Big East) 76-62 in the first-ever Women's Big 5 Classic Championship at the Finneran Pavilion. Tiarra East led the Owls with 26 points, shooting 55% from the field. Four Owls scored in the double digits, East (26), Tristen Taylor (15), Tarriyonna Gary (14), and Kaylah Turner (10), to help the Owls secure the Big 5 Classic, their 12th Big 5 Championship in school history.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter

After the Owls secured the tipoff, the Wildcats gained possession from a defensive rebound and opened the scoring with a mid-range jumper from Lara Edmanson.
Villanova went on a 9-0 run early in the first quarter. Tiara East scored the Owls' first bucket at the 7:41 mark ending the Wildcats run.
Eager to stay close in the first quarter, Temple responded with an 8-0 run to bring the Wildcats' lead down to one, making it 9-8 with 5:49 on the clock.
East led the Owls early with six points going into the first media timeout with Temple down 13-8.
Momentum slowed for both teams after the media timeout, scoring only 10 points in the following four minutes.
With 36 seconds left on the clock, Anissa Rivera hit a three-pointer, closing out scoring for the quarter with the Owls trailing 19-16 after overcoming a 9-point deficit to begin the game.
The Owls outrebounded the Wildcats in the first quarter 9-7, led by Rivera's three.

Second Quarter

To start the second quarter Tristen Taylor drove to the basket and drew a foul, nailing both free throws.
On the next possession, Villanova responded with a steal and a layup from Jasmine Bascoe.
Villanova's Edmanson broke a 6-minute and 35-second scoring drought with a layup off a Temple turnover, making the score 25-20 with the Wildcats leading.
Senior guard, Tiarra East, converted a second-chance layup cutting Villanova's lead to three and brought the teams into a media timeout.
Tarriyonna Gary made two free throws and followed with a pull-up jumper to bring the Owls within two.
After a defensive rebound by Jaleesa Molina, Kaylah Turner made a jumper to give the Owls their first lead of the game 29-28 with 1:55 left in the half.
The Wildcats responded with six points of their own, only interrupted by one Temple free throw, to close out the half with the lead 34-30.
The Owls' defense held the Wildcats to 0-11 behind the 3-point line in the first half.
The Owls struggled from behind the arc in the first half, as Temple went 1-5 from three.

Third Quarter

Villanova opened up the half with a three-point jumper from Bronagh Power-Cassidy after a personal foul from Gary.
The Owls played their part on defense, grabbing five early boards to prevent the Wildcats from cleaning up.
Temple found a rhythm early in the quarter with a 14-2 run led by 8 points from Tristen Taylor, giving the Owls a five-point lead at 44-39 going into the 4:57 media timeout.
Coming out of the media timeout with new energy, the Wildcats scored six straight, forcing a Temple timeout.
Taylor and Gary combined for 17 points in the quarter shooting 7-7. Taylor scored 10 points on 4-4 shooting.
Late in the third, both teams got hot, hitting eight of ten to close out the quarter with Temple in the lead, 55-50.
The Owls dominated the third quarter, leading in every scoring category including rebounds (8-4) and assists (5-3).

Fourth Quarter

Kaylah Turner pulled up from mid-range to open Temple's account in the fourth after a Wildcat turnover.
The Owls took an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter, the largest of the game, after a pullup jumper from Turner.
Temple continued to build its momentum, hitting back-to-back-to-back threes from Gary and East, lifting the Owls over the Wildcats before the 3:53 media timeout, 70-56.
After remaining in a scoring drought for two minutes, the Wildcats drained a free throw, followed by a three-pointer, both by graduate forward Lara Edmunson.
East scored 11 straight points for the Owls including threes, layups, and free throws.
The Cherry and White defense was impressive, holding the Wildcats to 12 points in the fourth quarter.
The Owls secured the win after a defensive rebound by Gary as the clock ticked down.

INSIDE THE BOX

East played six minutes and was the leading scorer for the Owls in the first quarter with six points shooting 3-5 from the field.
Villanova capitalized off of Temple's four turnovers in the first quarter getting six points.
In the first half, the Owls outrebounded the Wildcats 20-14, led by Anissa Rivera with five.
Temple had 12 bench points in the first half, Savannah Curry (2), Anissa Rivera (6) and Kaylah Turner (4).
Both teams shot 44% in the first half.
Temple outscored Villanova 25-16 in the third quarter - the most points the Owls have scored in the third quarter so far this season.
In the third quarter, the Owls had 12 points in the paint and were 2-2 from beyond the arc.
Four Owls scored in the double digits, East (26), Taylor (15), Gary (14), and Turner (10).