Temple Turns Up the Intensity in 77 – 53 Win Over Bucknell
PHILADELPHIA, PA. 11/11/2023 –
The Temple Owls women’s basketball team was eager for a bounce back game after the loss to Georgetown earlier in the week. And they bounced back with great effort in the win over Bucknell at the Liacouras Center.
“It’s good top see that we bounced back and didn’t let that other loss hurt us,” said Temple Coach Diane Richardson. “It was a wake up call for us, but they responded and we got the result we wanted.”
Battle on the Boards
The reason for the positive response was great effort, reflected in their rebounding and defense. The Owls were outstanding in both areas. Off the glass Temple had 48 rebounds and 22 came on the offensive side, the most since a 2016 game against Memphis. That was important as early in the game there was not much offense, 21 total points in the first quarter. There were rebounds to be had, and the Owls got them.
“We had twenty three second chance points,” Richardson said. “We were crashing the boards and even though the shots weren’t falling, we were getting rebounds and getting second chances, and having that mentality that we’re not going to stop. That’s what we’ve been working on this week. Not stopping, continuing to play for thirty seconds on the shot clock. And we did that.”
Bucknell pulled down 31 rebounds.
Swarming Defense
Active defense against the Bison gave the Owls a 22 – 5 edge in points off turnovers. Bucknell gave up the ball without a shot 24 times. Temple had 11 steals with forward Tiarra East getting a career-high 6 swipes. This also limited the Bison shooting percentage. They finished hitting 30.6% (15 of 49). Over the first three quarters the percentage was 21.6% (8 of 37).
Temple took control in the second quarter going on a 27 – 4 run to take a commanding lead.
What the Numbers Say
The Cherry and White had 11 players score and 11 players get at least one rebound. Six players scored in double figures with forward Ines Piper leading the way with 13 points and 6 boards. She also blocked 3 shots. Guard Aleah Nelson scored 12 points with 3 rebounds. Guard Kendall Currence scored 10 points and grabbed 7 caroms.
Bucknell had two players score in double figures. Forward Emma Theodorsson had a team-high 12 points, and fellow forward Grace Sullivan scored 10 points and led the team with 7 rebounds.
Up Next
Temple (2 – 1) goes on the road next with a important contest at Ole Miss. They return home for a Big Five game against Villanova on November 19.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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