Feb. 6, 2010
Holding La Salle to just 26.5 percent shooting from the field and out-rebounding their cross-town rival 44-19, the Temple women’s basketball team earned a 55-34 A-10 and Big 5 victory on the road against the Explorers. Kristen McCarthy led all players with 15 points, while Natasha Thames led the Owls and all players with a career-high 11 rebounds.
Temple improves to 17-6 overall and 6-2 in the Atlantic 10, while La Salle drops to 5-18 for the season and 0-8 in conference play. The Owls finish the Big 5 season in sole possession of second place, at 3-1 and behind Villanova with a perfect 4-0 record.
Marli Bennett nearly notched a double-double for Temple with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Poor shooting and turnovers led to a low-scoring first half that saw Temple take only a 20-14 lead into the break. The Owls led throughout, and led by as many as eight down the stretch.
Temple shot 32 percent in the half, compared to just 20 percent by La Salle, but committed 10 turnovers to the Explorers’ five.
For the second-straight game, Temple held its opponent without a field goal for the final eight minutes of the first half. Bennett led the Owls and all players with eight points at halftime, and was 2-of-4 from behind the arc.
Temple opened the second half with a 12-2 run, beginning with two baskets by Jasmine Stone, to take a 16-point, 32-16 lead at 14:43.
La Salle put just four points on the board in the first 10 minutes of the second half, during which time the Owls doubled their own score from the first half.
Temple’s Kristie Watkins-Day converted an old-fashioned three-pointer just after the midway point to give the Owls a 40-20 advantage. Temple led by as many as 24 with five minutes remaining, and La Salle came within no fewer than 19 the rest of the way.
