Temple University Athletics
Temple University
FAU
Temple Women's Basketball Closes Out Regular Season with Senior Night on Wednesday
3.4.24 | Women's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA – The Temple Women's Basketball team (19-11, 12-5 AAC) will host Florida Atlantic on Wednesday, March 6, at 7 p.m. to take on the FAU Owls (11-17, 6-11 AAC). This will be the first meeting of the season between the two schools who both go by the Owls. This game will be senior day, the final home game in a Temple uniform for a quintet of student-athletes. The game will stream on ESPN+ and The Varsity Network App.
Tickets for Temple's final regular season game of the year can be purchased here.
LAST TIME OUT: Temple 81, ECU 66
> Temple defeated the East Carolina 81-66 on the road at Williams Arena in Greenville, North Carolina.
> Tiarra East (28), Tarriyonna Gary (16), Aleah Nelson (13), Demi Washington (12), and Rayne Tucker (10), all scored in double figures. East, Nelson, and Tucker recorded double-doubles.
> East set a new season-high in scoring with 28 points. Her previous career high came against La Salle on 12/5/22. She also set a new career high in rebounding, with 13. Her double-double today is the sixth of her career.
> Temple dominated the boards, holding a 45-29 advantage in team rebounding.
> Nelson tied a career high in assists with 11, which came against Hofstra on 3/22/21. Her 11 assists is the most by any Temple player this season. She recorded her first double-double of the year and the fifth of her career. Her performance is the first points-assists double-double of the season by any Owl.
THE TEMPLE OWLS
> Temple's win at ECU assured the Owls of no -less than the #3 seed and a double-bye in the upcoming AAC Championship Tournament.
> The Owls stand in a three-way tie for first place in the AAC. 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.
> Temple reached the 17-win plateau for the first time since 2015-16 when they finished the season with 23 victories.
> Following an 11-win season a year ago, Temple needs to win two more games to tie a program record from best turnaround. The benchmark is nine set in 2020-21 when 19 wins followed a 10-win season.
> Temple currently ranks 5th in the NCAA in offensive rebounds per game (16.5) and 24th in turnover margin (+4.62). The Owls also rank first in the AAC in turnover margin.
> Aleah Nelson (12.4 ppg) and Tiarra East (13.0 ppg) have reached double-digits in 21 and 20 games, respectively. In fact, nine Temple players have combined for 101 double-digit scoring outputs this season. Six players, including all five starters, are averaging over 7.3 points per game.
SCOUTING FAU
> The Owls offense is paced by Aniya Hubbard with a team-leading 17.9 points per game this season. Mya Perry and Jada Moore round off the Owls' double-digit scorers, averaging 11.3 and 10.6 points per game.
> 19-year coaching veteran Jennifer Sullivan is in her third season as head coach for the Owls. Since arriving in Boca Raton, Sullivan has continued to elevate the Owls' program. The 2023-24 season marks a historic year for FAU women's basketball as the program celebrates its 40th season, and first in the AAC.
SERIES HISTORY
> This is the first time FAU and Temple have met.
> With six new teams added to the AAC this season, Temple played each one for the first time in 2023-24. Temple's record in those games is 5-2. (Rice 1-0, UAB 1-0, UTSA 1-0,
Charlotte 1-1, North Texas 0-1).
UP NEXT Temple will head to Forth Worth, Texas, for the AAC Championship. Temple is assured of no less than the #3 seed and a double-bye so its first game will be played on Monday, March 11. All Temple postseason matchups will air on ESPN+ and the Varsity Network App. Tickets are available at Owlstix.com.
