Temple University Athletics
Temple University
16-10,10-4AAC
UTSA
13-12,7-7AAC
Women’s Basketball Defeats UTSA on the Road, Moves into Sole Possession of First Place in AAC
2.22.24 | Women's Basketball
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Temple Women's Basketball team (16-10, 10-4 AAC) defeated the UTSA Roadrunners (13-12, 7-7 AAC), 56-48, on the road at the Convocation Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Three Owls scored in double figures, led by Tiarra East with 18 points. With Temple's win over UTSA and North Texas' loss to Charlotte last night, the Owls stand in sole possession of first place in the American Athletic Conference.
First Quarter: UTSA 18, Temple 11
>Tiarra East grabbed an offensive rebound and converted the opening basket of the game, giving the Owls a 2-0 lead out of the gate.> A 5-0 run by the Roadrunners put Temple down 7-4 with 6:28 remaining in the period. Out of a timeout, Demi Washington ended the run with a jumper from the paint (7-6, UTSA).
> At the 3:34 mark of the first quarter, Aleah Nelson converted a three-pointer to trim the early deficit to one point (10-9 UTSA). The Roadrunners bounced back with a 6-0 run.
> Despite spending half the period on the bench due to two early fouls, Washington was Temple's leading scorer with four points by quarter's end.
> UTSA out-muscled Temple with a 12-4 advantage in the paint.
Second Quarter: Temple 30, UTSA 28
> A 5-0 run to start the quarter allowed Temple to cut the lead to 18-16 before a timeout was called at 9:25. Ines Piper scored the opening five points of the quarter as Temple closed the gap.> The Cherry & White retook the lead, as East made a steal and fastbreak layup with 6:16 to go (22-20, TU).
> The second quarter continued to be a strong one for Temple, as a 19-10 period gave the Owls a 30-28 lead at the half.
> Demi Washington led the Cherry & White in first-half scoring with 10, while East chipped in with eight and Piper added seven.
Third Quarter: Temple 43, UTSA 40
> The Roadrunners scored four unanswered points out of the half, before Rayne Tucker's jumper evened the game at 32-32.> Both teams traded buckets midway through, playing out a 38-38 tie at the five-minute mark of the third frame.
> The period was marked by physical play with 11 fouls called (eight on UTSA). Temple held a 9-0 advantage from the foul line on 9-13 shooting.
> Washington was injured and carried off the court at 2:26.
> The Owls outrebounded the Roadrunners 18-11 in the third quarter, building on a 12-rebound advantage overall after three quarters.
Fourth Quarter: Temple 56, UTSA 48
> The first five minutes of the quarter saw just seven total points (6-1 TEM) for an overall lead by the Owls of 49-41. Both teams combined for just one field goal (TEM 1-4, UTSA 0-5).> UTSA didn't get its first field goal until 2:50 remaining in the period. Prior to this basket, the Owls held the Roadrunners without a field goal for over 10 minutes of regulation.
> Temple limited UTSA to 2-10 shooting in the fourth quarter, holding a 13-8 advantage in the final frame.
> East added six points in the final 10 minutes of regulation.
Game Notes
> Temple's victory over UTSA marked the team's fourth consecutive win, which is the Owls' longest winning streak since December of the 2020-21 season.
> The Owls stand in sole possession of first place in the AAC after tonight's victory. 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
> The Owls were stellar in offensive rebounding, holding a 22-10 advantage over the Roadrunners.> Today's game against UTSA marked the fifth straight game, and the sixth game out of the last seven, that the Owls have outscored their opponents in the second quarter. Temple has won those quarters by an average of 11.3 points during that span.
> With Nelson's 11 points tonight, she has now scored in double figures in five of her last six games. Likewise, East's 18 points marked her fifth double-digit scoring effort in the team's last six outings.
> Denise Solis set a new season high in rebounds with eight, and tied her season high in points with four.
Up Next
Temple is set to stay on the road for its second of consecutive away games in Texas. The Cherry & White will travel to Rice on Feb. 25, with the game tipping off at 3 p.m. ET and airing on ESPN+ and the Varsity Network App.
