Owls get outrebounded, lose sixth-straight game to Shockers
Written by: Adrian Maghacot
Photo by: Mary Perez
Despite leading at halftime, Temple women’s basketball (10-17, 5-10 American Athletic Conference) lost to Wichita State (16-12, 6-9 AAC) 79-67 at the Charles Koch Arena.
This marks the Owls’ sixth-straight loss, with their last win being against Wichita State Feb. 1 at The Liacouras Center.
The Shockers played a dominant game, especially on defense, as the team grabbed 39 boards compared to the Owls’ 24. Offensively, Wichita State shot more efficiently with a 51% field goal percentage while Temple shot 45%.
Forward Jane Asinde led the way for the Shockers scoring 22 points on 56% shooting. Moreover, Asinde grabbed 10 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks.
For Temple, guard Aleah Nelson led the team with 16 points on 33% shooting. In addition, Nelson achieved a season-high nine assists and grabbed four rebounds.
Wichita State took an early lead in the first quarter, finishing with 20 points compared to Temple’s 11. The Owls struggled shooting the ball early, only making five of their first 16 attempts.
Temple committed four fouls, with two quick ones coming from forward Ines Piper, who played just 10 minutes in the loss.
However, the Owls started to pick up momentum after having a 23-point second quarter, led by Nelson, who scored eight points. Wichita State committed seven turnovers, and the Owls took advantage of them by scoring 12 points off those turnovers.
By the end of the first half, Temple took the lead for the first time in the game, as the Owls took a 34-33 lead into the locker room.
The third quarter was almost even ground for both teams with Wichita State taking back the lead after a 13-point quarter from guard Curtessia Dean, as she did not miss a shot.
While the Owls did catch up with the Shockers to make it a four-point game by the end of the quarter, Temple committed six fouls, with two coming from forward Tiarra East.
Despite the game being competitive at the end of the first half, it was a different story in the fourth quarter. The Owls struggled, shooting 23% from the field, and failed to take back the lead, only scoring eight points in the quarter.
Meanwhile, Shockers forward Trajata Colbert led the team with four rebounds, which gave Asinde the opportunity to score six points and close the game out for a 13-point win.
In addition to Asinde, Dean also recorded a double-double after scoring a season-high 18 points on 64% shooting while grabbing 10 rebounds.
Four Owls scored in double digit figures: Nelson’s 16, guard Tarriyonna Gary’s 15, forward Caranda Parea’s 14, and forward Brittany Garner’s season-high 10. East was the largest contributor for the Owl’s on defense after grabbing four rebounds, three steals, and one block.
The Owls will return to Philadelphia to face SMU (16-9, 7-6 AAC) in their regular-season finale at The Liacouras Center on Wednesday, Mar. 1 at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN+.
