The Owls Defeat The Ohio 75 – 61 To Advance In The WNIT
PHILADELPHIA, PA. 3/24/2016 – It was a situation where the Temple Owls scored 75 points, good offensive output, yet it was their defensive effort that was the reason for a 75 – 61 win over the Ohio Bobcats in a WNIT game at McGonigle Hall. With the win Temple advances to the tournament quarterfinal round and a game at Michigan on Monday.
The key to the victory was limiting the three-point shooting by Ohio. For the game the Bobcats made 3 for 21 from beyond the arc, and went 0 for 9 in the second half. Ohio leading scorer and three-point shooter Kiyanna Black came into the game averaging over 18 points per game, and led the nation in made three-point shots with 126. Black did not make a shot from distance in five tries and totaled 5 points on the night.
“We did a really good job of shutting down Black,” said Temple Coach Tonya Cardoza. “She is the nation’s leading three-point shooter. The fact that she did not get a three was key for us. We did a good job of defending the three which is their bread and butter. We limited them to three which changed the way they wanted to play.”
The Owls speed and quickness on defense disrupted the Bobcats offense all night. Ohio shot 23 of 56 (41.1%) and just 3 of 21 from three-point land. Temple forced 15 turnovers and created a 16 – 7 advantage in points off turnovers.
“They have not played against anyone who had the athleticism that we have and we did a good job of keeping people in front of us,” Cardoza said.
The pace of the game allowed the Cherry and White to get to the basket as they took 63 shots, making 27 for 42.9%. The Owls took 18 shots from deep and made 5. Temple went to the line 24 times and made 16.
The rebounds fell in favor of the Owls who pulled down 44 boards, 14 off the offensive glass. Ohio had 32 rebounds. Erica Covile led the Cherry and White with 14 caroms, one shy of her career-high. Donnaizha Fountain recorded 10 rebounds to go along with 13 points, her third double-double of the season.
“We wanted to get out and run,” said Fountain. “We were being aggressive, boxing out and pushing the ball.”
Feyonda Fitzgerald was the leading scorer in the contest scoring 22 points and handed out a game-best 6 assists. Alliya Butts scored 18 points making 9 of 12 free throw opportunities. Tanaya Atkinson added 13 points. Covile fell one-point short of a double-double as she put in 9 points.
Quiera Lampkins led the Bobcats with 20 points. Yamonie Jenkins scored 12 points for Ohio who ends the season with a 26 – 6 record.
Temple (22 – 11) travels to Michigan for a Monday quarterfinal contest in the WNIT Elite Eight.
“We are going back on the road and do what we need to do to get a victory,” said Cardoza.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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