PHILADELPHIA – The Temple Women's Basketball team (19-11, 13-5 AAC) defeated the Florida Atlantic Owls (11-18, 6-12), 74-53 on the team's senior day at the Liacouras Center to secure a share of the American Athletic Conference regular season title. The regular season title marks the first time Temple has done so since joining the American.
Tarriyonna Gary led the Owls with 20 points, nailing six three-pointers. The Cherry & White concluded the regular season in a three-way tie for first place in the AAC with North Texas and Tulsa. Based on tiebreakers, the Owls will enter the AAC tournament as the No. 3 seed.
First Quarter: Temple 20, FAU 12
> Florida Atlantic won the tip and promptly scored the games' first points. Temple missed its first seven shots before Rayne Tucker put back a rebound to tie the score at 2-2 at 6:42.
> A 6-0 run from Temple was ended by a three-pointer from FAU creating a tight game, 6-5 Temple, by the first media time out at 4:55.
> By the 2:30 mark, each team had doubled their score leaving Temple with a 12-10 lead.
> Tristen Taylor made a nifty move to the basket for an easy layup and Tiarra East stole the inbound pass that was part of an 11-2 Temple run. That pushed Temple's lead to eight at the end of the quarter.
> Tarriyonna Gary led Temple's offensive efforts with 8 points throughout the quarter.
> Temple outpaced FAU 5-0 in steals which also gave them a 7-0 advantage in fastbreak points. The home team also held a 9-0 advantage in points off turnovers as they caused nine while not committing any.
Second Quarter: Temple 35, FAU 22
> Tiarra East gained offensive traction for the Owls to start the quarter with four points helping to push Temple's lead to 11 at a media timeout with 7:00 remaining (TEM, 26-15).
> The Cherry & White held the Owls to a stand still of 17 points for just above four minutes.
> East led the Owls with 6 points in the quarter, bringing her halftime total to 8.
Third Quarter: Temple 54, FAU 39
> East continued her offensive stride and earned five points for Temple within the first few minutes of the quarter, putting Temple over the 40-point mark.
> Taylor then went on a personal five-point run giving Temple a 45-30 lead at 6:33.
> A 9-4 run by FAU cut their deficit to 10 at the 3:00 minute mark. (TEM 49-39).
> Temple closed out the quarter with a 5-0 run, including a three from Gary, that pushed the lead back to 15. (TEM 54-39).
Fourth Quarter: Temple 74, FAU 53
> Demi Washington tabbed six points for the Cherry and White within the first five minutes of the final quarter.
> Tarriyonna Gary hit a three-pointer with 2:34 remaining that put the Cherry & White up 68-53. Her sixth three marked the most made threes by and Owl this season.
Game Notes
> The Cherry & White's regular season conference championship is the first time the program has secured a regular season title since the 2011-12 season.
> Temple's 19 wins this year are the most in a regular season since 2016-17.
>The Owls have secured the No. 3 seed in the AAC tournament, and will play their first game at 9 p.m. on March 11. Temple will play the winner of Charlotte vs. Tulane/SMU.
> Temple is 18-3 when leading at halftime, and 14-1 when shooting 40% or better this season.
> Temple won 10 home games for the first time since 2019-20 when they also won 10.
Statistically Speaking
> Tiarra East recorded her 100th career steal in the second quarter, scoring a fastbreak layup on the play.
> East's 17 points marked her ninth double-digit scoring effort in the team's last 10 outings. Overall, East has 21 double-digit games this season.
> Gary's six three-pointers is the most in a game by the Owls this season.
Up Next
The three-seed Owls will head to Fort Worth, Texas to compete in the AAC Tournament. Temple will play its first game on March 11 at 9 p.m. ET, with the opponent yet to be determined. The game will air on ESPN+ and the Varsity Network App.
