Temple Defeats Tulane at Home to Move Into Tie for First Place Atop AAC

Monday, February 19

Philadelphia, Pa.

7:00 PM EST

Temple University

15-10,9-4AAC

Tulane

10-15,3-11AAC

Tulane

Temple

Photo by: Zamani Feelings

Temple Defeats Tulane at Home to Move Into Tie for First Place Atop AAC

2.19.24 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Game Book Post Game Press Conference

PHILADELPHIA – The Temple Women's Basketball team (15-10, 9-4 AAC) defeated the Tulane Green Wave (10-15, 3-11 AAC), 69-52 at the Liacouras Center.

The Owls saw a well-balanced scoring effort, with four players finishing in double-digit scoring. With Temple's win tonight and UTSA's victory over North Texas on Sunday, the Owls are now tied for first place in the American Athletic Conference.

First Quarter: Tulane 16, Temple 12

> After a back-and-forth by both teams to start off the game, Tiarra East opened up the scoring with a mid range jump shot at the 8:14 mark to give the Owls an opening 2-0 lead.
> Temple built a 4-0 lead out of the gates, but Tulane responded with a 6-0 run that prompted a timeout at 6:03.
> The teams went scoreless for just over two minutes following the media timeout, until Demi Washington tied the game at 6-6 with a post bucket.
> The Green Wave pushed its lead to 13-8 with a three-pointer with 52 seconds remaining in the quarter.
> The first quarter was a slow offensive output for both teams, who combined to shoot 12-30 (40%).
> Washington was strong on the boards, grabbing 4 rebounds in the opening frame. She also scored 4 of Temple's 12 points.

Second Quarter: Temple 37, Tulane 29

> The second period opened with raining three, with Temple nailing four toTulane's one, allowing Temple to take a 24-21 advantage.
> After going 0-3 in the first quarter from beyond the arc, Temple was 4-4 in the second period.
> Temple saw a huge burst of offense in the second quarter, building a 29-23 lead at the 4:52 mark in the second quarter after East went coast-to-coast for a layup.
> The Green Wave opened up a 6-2 run to trim the Owls' deficit to 31-29 with two minutes remaining in the half, but a 6-0 run by Temple gave the Owls a 37-29 halftime lead.
> Washington led the way for the Cherry & White, totaling 10 points and five rebounds at the break.

Third Quarter: Temple 52, Tulane 46

> Temple scored two fast-break layups to open the half, extending the lead to double figures for the first time at the 8:16 mark (41-31, TU).
> The Owls opened the quarter on an 8-2 run, building the lead to 45-31 with 5:52 remaining in the half.
> The Green Wave responded with a 7-2 run, before Tarriyonna Gary sank a three-pointer to put the Owls up 12 with 3:32 remaining in the third (50-38, TU).
> Gary heated up in the third quarter with 7 of Temple's 15 points.

Fourth Quarter: Temple 69, Tulane 52

> Both teams were slow to score but Temple opened with a 5-0 run and upped its lead to 57-46 at the 6:47 mark after Aleah Nelson converted her third three of the game.
> Temple extended its lead to 13 with 4:06 remaining in the game (63-50, TU).
> Nelson added seven points in the fourth quarter, helping Temple cruise to a double-digit victory.

Game Notes

> The win against Tulane marked Temple's third consecutive victory, which is tied for the longest such winning streak this season. The Owls won three consecutive games in non-conference play, against Penn, Delaware, and La Salle in December.
> With Temple's victory tonight and North Texas' loss yesterday, the Owls are tied for first place in the American Athletic Conference standings. The last time Temple led its conference standings this late in the season was during the 2011-12 season, when the Cherry & White led the Atlantic 10.

Statistically Speaking

> Today's game against Tulane marked the fourth straight game and fifth game out of the last six that the Owls have outscored their opponents in the second quarter. Temple has won those quarters by an average of 12.2 points during that span.
> Nelson (16), Washington (14), Gary (12), and East (12) all scored in double figures.
> Rayne Tucker's six rebounds on the night moved her above 600 for her career.
> Washington's seven rebounds was just two shy of a career high.
> Tiarra East's double-double today is the first of the season and the fourth of her career. Her 11 rebounds ties a single-game career high.

Up Next
The Owls hit the road for back-to-back conference matchups. Temple will travel to San Antonio, Texas to face UTSA at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 22, with the game set to air on ESPN+ and the Varsity Network App.