Temple Takes Down Memphis for 11 Straight

WRITTEN BY: MELISSA PAYAVIS

The Owls notched their 11th consecutive win on Saturday against Memphis, 66-51, taking care of the Tigers to remain undefeated at home and in conference play.

The first half didn’t look too promising for Temple. The team held onto the lead for just 4:35 in the half, heading into the locker room down 33-27. The Owls’ leading scorer, senior guard Feyonda Fitzgerald, went just one for four from the field on the day. On defense, the Owls had forced nine turnovers, but it didn’t seem to be enough to stymie Memphis’s offense. After leaving the locker room for the second time, however, they had a different mindset.

The team came out to score 10 points in the first 2:18 of the second half, forcing a Memphis timeout. From there, it was nothing but Owls on top. The third quarter gave time for Temple’s defense to take charge and hold Memphis to seven points, while the Owls’ offense tallied an impressive 25.

“I just think as a team we stepped it up on defense,” junior guard Donnaizha Fountain said. “We’re a team that feeds off of our defensive energy, and so that’s what got all of us going, just being more aggressive on defense.”

Fountain was the game’s leading scorer, putting up an impressive 19 points, while senior forward Ruth Sherrill and junior guard Alliya Butts scored 13 and 12 points, respectively. This was Fountain’s third straight game leading the team in scoring. Also of note, Butts now ranks 10th on the program’s all-time scoring list.

The Owls will travel to the Palestra to face the University of Pennsylvania Quakers on Wednesday at 7p.m.