The Owls Win the Title With a 76 – 62 Victory Over Villanova to Cap the Triple Header
VILLANOVA, PA 12/6/2024 –
The Temple Owls are the champions of the 2024 Toyota Women’s Big Five Classic. Their win over the Villanova Wildcats capped a Big Five tripleheader at the Finneran Pavilion. It is a big accomplishment for the Cherry and White. This is the first Big Five crown for Temple since the 2018-19 season when they shared it with Villanova.
“A great tournament, a great classic, the first of many that I know ae going to be really great for the city,” said Temple Coach Diane Richardson. “We played hard and came up with the win. Our ladies stuck to the scout and we got a victory, Temple basketball.”
The Owls forward Tiarra East headed the way scoring a season-high 26 points on 10 of 18 shooting making 2 of 3 from beyond the arc. Guard Tristen Taylor added 15 points making 5 of 7 from the floor. Tarriyonna Gary contributed 14 points while Kaylah Turner added 10 points.
For the Owls it was a matter of defense that turned the game around in the second half. Villanova was held to 38% shooting (11 of 29) in the second half. As Temple got rolling on defense, the offense picked up. The Cherry and White made 67% of their field goals sinking 18 of 27. The three-point line was also in the favor of the Owls who drained 6 of 12 while the Wildcats converted only 3 of 20 and all of the made three-pointers came in the second half.
Jasmine Bascoe led Villanova with her season-best 19 points while taking down a collegiate-best 7 rebounds. She assisted 6 times. The freshman has posted double-figures in points in 8 of the team’s 9 games. Maddie Webber scored 12 points and Lara Edmanson got 11 points.
In earlier action the Saint Joseph’s Hawks defeated the Drexel Dragons 69 – 47 in the third place game. The big three for the Hawks propelled the team. Mackenzie Smith had a game-high 23 points. Forward Laura Ziegler scored 17 points and took down 7 rebounds. Talya Brugler had a near triple-double getting 10 points, 8 rebounds, and a career-best 9 assists.
“It was a great team with production from a lot of different players.” said Saint Joseph’s Coach Cindy Griffin.
Gabby Casey was efficient in her shooting making all 4 shots, 2 from deep, and was 1 of 2 from the free throw line for 11 points.
Drexel had 2 players in double-digits. Amaris Baker had a team-high 16 points and Deja Evans scored 12 points. Forward Chloe Hodges led the team in assists with 6 and guard Grace O’Neill led the Dragons in rebounds with 6 caroms.
The game turned in the direction of St. Joe’s in the fourth quarter. The Hawks won the final ten minutes 18 – 5 shooting 66.7% (8 of 12) while the Dragons converted just 2 of their 12 shots (16.7%).
The University of Pennsylvania Quakers took the fifth place game defeating the La Salle Explorers 74 – 63. The game turned toward Penn in the third quarter when they connected 9 of 14 field goal attempts (64.3%) while La Salle converted on 4 of 19 (21.1%).
Freshman guard Sarah Miller set her collegiate mark in scoring with 21 points making 6 of 7 attempts and was good on 5 of 6 three-point shots while draining all 4 free throws. Stina Almqvist posted her second double-double of the season scoring 18 points and taking down 11 rebounds. Freshman Katie Collins also recorded her second double-double getting 12 points and 11 rebounds. Guard Mataya Gayle set a career-high in assists handing out 9 while adding 11 points.
The Explorers were headed in scoring by Ashleigh Conner who had 13 points making 5 of 9 shots and a three-ball. Aryss Macktoon added 12 points while Anna Przyszlak contributed 10 points.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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