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Published Dec 15, 2024
Offensive struggles cost Owls in loss to No. 15 West Virginia
Jaison Nieves
OwlScoop.com Staff Reporter

Diane Richardson and her coaching staff believed they scouted No. 15 West Virginia well.

Executing the plan was another issue altogether.

After Richardson’s Temple women’s basketball team hit just three field goals in the second quarter, the Owls’ hopes of upsetting the Mountaineers looked slim.

Those hopes were then completely dashed during a second half West Virginia controlled, as the Owls shot just 24% from the field en route to a 68-46 loss at the Liacouras Center Sunday afternoon.

“It was a tough game against a very tough team,” Richardson said. “We did some things well according to the scout, like keeping them under their average and keeping some of the players under their average, but then we didn’t shoot the ball very well. I think that was our Achilles’ heel today against a tough team that’s hard to respond to.”

Guard Tiarra East led Temple (5-4) with 15 points but shot just 3-for-13 from the field in the process. Forward Jaleesa Molina had her best game of the season, totaling seven points, seven rebounds and three steals in the loss.

It was a defensive battle through the first quarter, with neither team shooting above 31% in the period. West Virginia (10-1) was able to find the edge through three point shooting, hitting four shots from beyond the arc and leading 16-13.

The Mountaineers carried their play into the second quarter, limiting the Owls’ opportunities with strong defense and finding ways to score inside. A West Virginia full-court press made it difficult for Temple to get into their plays early in the shot clock, along with a 2-3 zone defense.

As a result, the Owls were held to just three field goals in the second quarter with nearly six minutes in between the first and second made shot. The 3-for-17 shooting mark in the second quarter was a tough obstacle for Temple to overcome.

Meanwhile, West Virginia was held somewhat in check and scored just 15 points, led by guard Jordan Harrison’s five, and held a 31-21 lead at halftime. Had Temple shot even somewhat better during that stretch, it could have been a closer ballgame at the break.

“I think we didn’t execute our offense today,” Richardson said. “And when you don’t you take these quick shots and the shots don’t fall. We’ve got to be more cognizant of executing and running our offense to know where our shots are going to be and being confident with those shots.”

Temple’s offense started to pick up in the third quarter, as East hit a pair of threes, but West Virginia didn’t back down.The Mountaineers shot 50% from the field in the third quarter, led by Kyah Watson, who scored nine points of her 15 points in the third.

From there West Virginia controlled the pace of the matchup, continuing to force misses and never letting Temple get any momentum to get back into the game. Five players reached double-figures for the Mountaineers, led by Watson’s 15. JJ Quinerly came into the matchup averaging 19 points but was held to 11 points alongside Harrison.

“They don’t get too high or too low,” Richardson said of West Virginia. “They were on top of things. We would score and they didn’t panic and would go ahead and score, because that’s what they do. We just had to make sure we didn’t get down on ourselves.”

The Owls now take a road trip to the west coast for the final games of nonconference play at the Raising The B.A.R. Invitational, starting with a matchup against Xavier on Dec. 21 at 11 p.m. A game against either Cal or Fordham will await the Owls the following day.

Watch Sunday's postgame press conference here.

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Front page photo by Zamani Feelings.

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