Wednesday, February 1st, 2017
Temple University
Philadelphia PA.
Philadelphia PA.
Time: 7:00
TV: SNY/ESPN3
TV: SNY/ESPN3
No. 1 UConn 20-0 (8-0) Temple 16-4 (6-1)
Head to Head games
UConn has played Temple 9 times in their history, winning the last 7 after losing twice in the PG era (pre-geno).
1/16/81 L 68-71 A
1/16/82 L 49-62 H
3/23/10 W 90-36 N
1/11/14 W 80-36 H
1/28/14 W 93-56 A
1/14/15 W 92-58 H
2/1/15 W 83-49 A
1/16/16 W 104-49 H
2/14/16 W 85-60 A
Temple comes into this game after a tough loss to No. 20 South Florida, 55-51. In this game, Temple was down 47-31 with 8:09 remaining in the fourth quarter. They hit 4 of 5 three points to close the gap to 2, 51-49 but could get no closer. Prior to that, Temple had won 12 consecutive games and were undefeated in the conference before this loss. Their best game of the season was a 84-74 win over No. 17 DePaul. I watched that game and Temple was terrific, but DePaul had their worst shooting night of the season, going 3-25 on threes.
Still number one and undefeated, UConn is coming off what many have described as a lack luster effort in beating Houston 91-42. I know, hold back your laughter. Yes, they were slow out of the gate, even down 6-4 five minutes into the game. I guess lack luster is in the eyes of the beholder. I just didn't see it.
2 Feyonda Fitzgerald
5'7" Junior Guard
32 Donnaizha Fountain
6'0" Sophomore Guard
1/16/82 L 49-62 H
3/23/10 W 90-36 N
1/11/14 W 80-36 H
1/28/14 W 93-56 A
1/14/15 W 92-58 H
2/1/15 W 83-49 A
1/16/16 W 104-49 H
2/14/16 W 85-60 A
First Temple game last season
Second Temple game last season
Overview
Overview
Temple comes into this game after a tough loss to No. 20 South Florida, 55-51. In this game, Temple was down 47-31 with 8:09 remaining in the fourth quarter. They hit 4 of 5 three points to close the gap to 2, 51-49 but could get no closer. Prior to that, Temple had won 12 consecutive games and were undefeated in the conference before this loss. Their best game of the season was a 84-74 win over No. 17 DePaul. I watched that game and Temple was terrific, but DePaul had their worst shooting night of the season, going 3-25 on threes.
Still number one and undefeated, UConn is coming off what many have described as a lack luster effort in beating Houston 91-42. I know, hold back your laughter. Yes, they were slow out of the gate, even down 6-4 five minutes into the game. I guess lack luster is in the eyes of the beholder. I just didn't see it.
Stat by Stat Comparison
Leader is bolded
Leader is bolded
UCONN Temple
85.6 Points Per Game 70.5
54.0 Opp Points Per Game 59.0
.517 Field Goal % .394
.349 Opp Field Goal % .377
.419 3 Point Field Goal % .314
.251 Opp 3 Point Field Goal % .284
.771 Free Throw % .716
39.1 Rebounds Per Game 42.5
32.8 Opp Rebounds Per Game 37.4
22.8 Assists Per Game 14.4
13.1 Turnovers Per Game 14.1
1.7 Assists/Turnover Ratio 1.0
1.7 Assists/Turnover Ratio 1.0
10.5 Steals Per Game 7.7
4.5 Blocks Per Game 2.9
UCONN
UConn Starters
33 Katie Lou Samuelson
6'3" Sophomore Guard/Forward
Games - 20, MPG 31.5, FG% .500, 3PT% .459, FT% .831, PPG 21.6, RPG 4.0, APG 2.7
24 Napheesa Collier
6'1" Sophomore Forward/Guard
Games - 20, MPG 29.3, FG% .660, 3PT% .400, FT% .783, PPG 18.8, RPG 8.2, APG 2.0
15 Gabby Williams
5'11" Junior Forward
Games - 20, MPG 28.4, FG% .554, 3PT% .200, FT% .698, PPG 13.3, RPG 8.7, APG 5.4
11 Kia Nurse
6' Junior Guard
Games - 20, MPG 32.7, FG% .454, 3PT% .436, FT% .864, PPG 13.3, RPG 2.5, APG 4.3
12 Saniya Chong
5'8" Senior Guard
Games - 18, MPG 27.0, FG% .494, 3PT% .422, FT% .692, PPG 6.8, RPG 2.1, APG 3.8
UConn Bench
5 Crystal Dangerfield
5'5" Freshman Guard
Games - 14, MPG 23.0, FG% .415, 3PT% .314, FT% .636, PPG 6.1, RPG 2.6, APG 3.2
51 Natalie Butler
6'5" RS Sophomore Center
Games - 20, MPG 18.0, FG% .490, 3PT% .000, FT% .750, PPG 5.7, RPG 5.1, APG 1.2
10 Molly Bent
5'9" Freshman Guard
Games - 18, MPG 11.6, FG% .292, 3PT% .444, FT% .625, PPG 1.3, RPG 1.7, APG 1.3
25 Kyla Irwin
6'2" Freshman Forward
Games - 167 MPG 7.9, FG% .387, 3PT% .250, FT% .684, PPG 2.3, RPG 1.4, APG .5
20 Tierney Lawlor
5'7" Senior Guard
Games - 16, MPG 3.3, FG% .000, 3PT% .000, FT% .500, PPG 0.0, RPG .3, APG .1
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Tonya Cardoza
Head Coach
Tonya Cardoza recently completed her eighth season on North Broad Street, after proving time and again that she was the right person for the job of continuing and building upon the success of Temple women’s basketball.
Temple's 2015-16 season marked the second-straight 20-win campaign, as Cardoza guided the Owls to an overall mark of 23-12. In the tough American Athletic Conference, Temple finished third, compiling an impressive 13-5 record, the best finish for the team in American history. During the regular season, Temple made waves with a six-game win streak, including a thrilling 68-66 win over #20 USF. The culmination of the 2015-16 season again saw the Owls earn a post-season bid. The team advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2016 WNIT, before a narrow 77-76 loss at Michigan. Individually, Cardoza's guards again shined, as sophomore Alliya Butts earned the program's first American Athletic Conference first team nod, while also being named a first-team All-Big five selection.
COACHING EXPERIENCE
Temple University (2008-present)
Head Coach Five seasons
Season Overall Conf. Postseason
2008-09 21-10 11-3 A-10 NCAA
2009-10 25-9 11-3 A-10 NCAA
2010-11 24-9 13-1 A-10 NCAA
2011-12 23-10 13-1 A-10 WNIT
2012-13 14-18 5-9 A-10
2013-14 14-16 8-10 American
2014-15 20-17 12-6 American WNIT Final Four
2015-16 23-12 13-5 American WNIT Quarterfinals
Totals 164-101 86-38
2011 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year
2011 Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year
2010 Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year
2009 Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year
Temple's 2015-16 season marked the second-straight 20-win campaign, as Cardoza guided the Owls to an overall mark of 23-12. In the tough American Athletic Conference, Temple finished third, compiling an impressive 13-5 record, the best finish for the team in American history. During the regular season, Temple made waves with a six-game win streak, including a thrilling 68-66 win over #20 USF. The culmination of the 2015-16 season again saw the Owls earn a post-season bid. The team advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2016 WNIT, before a narrow 77-76 loss at Michigan. Individually, Cardoza's guards again shined, as sophomore Alliya Butts earned the program's first American Athletic Conference first team nod, while also being named a first-team All-Big five selection.
COACHING EXPERIENCE
Temple University (2008-present)
Head Coach Five seasons
Season Overall Conf. Postseason
2008-09 21-10 11-3 A-10 NCAA
2009-10 25-9 11-3 A-10 NCAA
2010-11 24-9 13-1 A-10 NCAA
2011-12 23-10 13-1 A-10 WNIT
2012-13 14-18 5-9 A-10
2013-14 14-16 8-10 American
2014-15 20-17 12-6 American WNIT Final Four
2015-16 23-12 13-5 American WNIT Quarterfinals
Totals 164-101 86-38
2011 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year
2011 Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year
2010 Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year
2009 Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year
Temple Starters
15 Alliya Butts
5'4" Sophomore Guard
Honors: 2015 American Athletic Conference Third Team... 2015 American Athletic Conference All-Freshman Team (unanimous selection)... 2015 Philadelphis Big 5 Rookie of the Year... 2015 Philadelphis Big 5 Second Team... American Freshman of the Week [1/26/15; 2/16/15]... Philadelphia Big 5 Honor Roll [11/24/14; 1/26/15; 12/14/15; 1/3/16; 1/11/16]... American Athletic Conference Player of the Week [12/14/15; 2/1/16]... American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll [1/3/16; 1/11/16] ... 2016 First Team All-American Athletic Conference ... 2016 First Team All Big 5 ... Philadelphia Big 5 Player of the Week [2/1/16]2015-16: Led the team in scoring for a second year, averaging 15.1 ppg and collecting a team-high 80 steals …Had career-highs in assists (7 vs. Delaware State), blocks (2 at SMU), and minutes played (50 at Memphis) … started in 34 games for the Owls … named to the American Athletic Conference First Team … named to the Philadelphia All-Big 5 First Team … selected to American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll for the week ending 1/3/16 … named to the Philadelphia Big 5 Honor Roll twice (12/14/15, 1/3/16).
Games - 20, MPG 34.4, FG% .332, 3PT% .313, FT% .813, PPG 15.1, RPG 2.5, APG 3.0
Games - 20, MPG 34.4, FG% .332, 3PT% .313, FT% .813, PPG 15.1, RPG 2.5, APG 3.0
2 Feyonda Fitzgerald
5'7" Junior Guard
Honors: 2014-15 Pre-Season Second-Team All-Conference pick... 2014 American Second-Team All-Conference selection ... unanimous All-Freshman Team pick ... 2014 All-Big 5 Second Team ... 2014 PhillyCollegeSports.com Rookie of the Year and All-Philly Second Team ... American Fourth Team All-Conference by College Sports Madness ... American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Week [3/4/14; 1/27/14; 12/23/13; 12/1/13; 11/18/13] ... Philadelphia Big 5 Player of the Week [12/23/13; 12/2/13; 11/17/14; 11/16/15; 11/23/15] ... American Athletic Conference Honor Roll [2/24/14] ... Philadelphia Big 5 Honor Roll [3/3/14; 2/24/14; 1/27/14; 1/13/14; 12/8/14; 11/30/15; 1/18/16; 2/29/16] ... PhillyCollegeSports.com Honor Roll [3/6/14; 1/13/14; 12/23/13; 12/16/13]... American Athletic Conference Honor Roll [11/17/14] ... 2016 Second Team All-American Athletic Conference ... 2016 Second Team All Big 5 ... American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll [11/16/15; 11/23/15]2015-16: Played in all 35 games for Temple, averaging 13.6 points … had a career-high 32 points in the season opener win over Florida … led the team with 186 assists (5.3 per game), which ranks second in a single season at Temple … tied career-highs in rebounds (9) and assists (11) … recorded two double-doubles this season … named to the American Athletic Conference Second Team … selected to the Philadelphia All-Big 5 Second Team.
Games - 20, MPG 36.6, FG% .399, 3PT% .313, FT% .821, PPG 17.9, RPG 3.7, APG 7.5
12 Ruth Sherrill
6' Senior Forward
Honors: 2016 President's Honor Roll2015-16: Averaged 1.1 ppg and 1.6 rpg in 29 games for Temple … notched career-highs in points (8 at UCF), rebounds (6 at Drexel), and assists (3 vs. Houston).
Games - 19, MPG 22.6, FG% .531, 3PT% .000, FT% .571, PPG 5.2, RPG 7.2, APG .5
35 Safiya Martin
35 Safiya Martin
6'4" Senior Center
Honors: 2016 Athletic Director's Honor Roll2015-16: Played in 27 games for Temple, averaging 1.1 points and 1.9 rebounds … Recorded 19 blocks and four steals on the season.
Games - 20, MPG 15.6, FG% .421, 3PT% .000, FT% .583, PPG 2.0, RPG 3.4, APG .2
6'0" Sophomore Guard
Honors: Big 5 Player of the Week [12/7/16]
2015-16: Started in 29 games for Temple … averaged 10.4 ppg and 6.7 rpg … led the team in three-point percentage, making 35 of her 94 taken (.372) … Recorded four double-doubles this season … Notched Temple career-highs in points (20 vs. Houston), rebounds (15 vs. Houston), steals (5 vs. Memphis and Ohio ) and blocks (3 vs. #19/17 USF).
2015-16: Started in 29 games for Temple … averaged 10.4 ppg and 6.7 rpg … led the team in three-point percentage, making 35 of her 94 taken (.372) … Recorded four double-doubles this season … Notched Temple career-highs in points (20 vs. Houston), rebounds (15 vs. Houston), steals (5 vs. Memphis and Ohio ) and blocks (3 vs. #19/17 USF).
Games - 18, MPG 28.7, FG% .421, 3PT% .338, FT% .851, PPG 13.5, RPG 7.8, APG .7
Temple Bench
22 Tanaya Aikenson
5'9" Sophomore Guard
22 Tanaya Aikenson
5'9" Sophomore Guard
Honors: 2014 Hall of Fame Game MVP... American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Week [3/3/15] ... American Athletic Conference Honor Roll [12/1/14; 12/21/15] ... Philadelphia Big 5 Player of the Week [12/22/14; 2/15/16] ... Philadelphia Big 5 Honor Roll [12/1/14; 12/21/15; 2/22/16] ... 2016 Second Team All Big 5 ... American Weekly Honor Roll [12/21/15; 3/1/16]2015-16: Started in 34 games for the Owls, averaging 13.0 points and 7.0 rebounds … set career-highs in points (27 vs. Houston) and rebounds (20 at Memphis) … recorded three double-doubles this season … named to the American Athletic Conference Honor Roll for the week ending 2/15/16 … selected to the Philadelphia Big 5 Honor Roll for the week ending 12/15/15 … named to Philadelphia All-Big 5 Second Team.
Games - 18, MPG 28.8, FG% .467, 3PT% .091, FT% .596, PPG 11.8, RPG 8.3, APG .7
21 Kadijiah Berger
5'10 Sophomore Guard
2015-16: Played in all 35 games, averaging 3.3 points and 2.7 rebounds … tied a career-best seven boards against SMU … Scored a season-high 12 points against Tulane, making four three-pointers.
Games - 20, MPG 21.0, FG% .293, 3PT% .354, FT% .714, PPG 4.4, RPG 2.9, APG 1.5
Game Analysis
In putting together the stats, we once again have a team that is playing pretty much as they did last season. All the numbers are so similar, you can't say they are better or worse than last season.
Temple is led by 5'7" Feyonda Fitzgerald. She is a very quick player and a terrific passer averaging 7.5 assist per game. Last season Nurse did a nice job defending her. Fitzgerald is not a great outside shooter, making only 31% of her threes. But she uses the threat of a three pointer to give her driving opportunities.
Her backcourt mate is their 5'4" dynamo, Alliya Butts. The junior guard continues to take her game to another level. She loves the three pointer, with over half of her shots coming from beyond the arc. She takes around 40% of the Owls' three pointers at about at about 8 per game. The problem is she only makes 31% of them.
This duo is what I would call Ohio State lite. These two guards dominate the play in a similar fashion to OSU's Mitchell and Ashton. UConn will work hard to limit their scoring and force the others to put points on the board. These two also take care of the ball well, so UConn can't expect to turn them over like the other and more sloppy AAC teams.
Temple loves to throw the ball around the perimeter until a drive opportunity shows up. They will either go to the basket or kick out for a three. But they generate most of their offense from their defense. You can see the "Geno" influence in their aggressive defensive play. They will run off misses and off turnovers and they are really really good at it.
UConn has a big advantage inside. Temple's only size is 6'4" Safiya Martin, who only gets around 16 minutes each game. She is just not capable of staying with the UConn front court. There is no one on Temple to cover Williams, Collier and Samuelson and all three should have big games, but expect Collier to dominate play. UConn's defense should be able to contain the guard duo of Temple with Nurse and Chong. And we should see Dangerfield help keep them under control.
Temple is led by 5'7" Feyonda Fitzgerald. She is a very quick player and a terrific passer averaging 7.5 assist per game. Last season Nurse did a nice job defending her. Fitzgerald is not a great outside shooter, making only 31% of her threes. But she uses the threat of a three pointer to give her driving opportunities.
Her backcourt mate is their 5'4" dynamo, Alliya Butts. The junior guard continues to take her game to another level. She loves the three pointer, with over half of her shots coming from beyond the arc. She takes around 40% of the Owls' three pointers at about at about 8 per game. The problem is she only makes 31% of them.
This duo is what I would call Ohio State lite. These two guards dominate the play in a similar fashion to OSU's Mitchell and Ashton. UConn will work hard to limit their scoring and force the others to put points on the board. These two also take care of the ball well, so UConn can't expect to turn them over like the other and more sloppy AAC teams.
Temple loves to throw the ball around the perimeter until a drive opportunity shows up. They will either go to the basket or kick out for a three. But they generate most of their offense from their defense. You can see the "Geno" influence in their aggressive defensive play. They will run off misses and off turnovers and they are really really good at it.
UConn has a big advantage inside. Temple's only size is 6'4" Safiya Martin, who only gets around 16 minutes each game. She is just not capable of staying with the UConn front court. There is no one on Temple to cover Williams, Collier and Samuelson and all three should have big games, but expect Collier to dominate play. UConn's defense should be able to contain the guard duo of Temple with Nurse and Chong. And we should see Dangerfield help keep them under control.
Final Prediction
Temple plays hard and is real scrappy. They are quick and can score in bunches if they can turn the other team over. They like to force the tempo and so does UConn. UConn's defense is just too good. Temple was able to play with UConn for some of the second game last season at home. I can see them playing tough again. But based on the South Florida game, I can see Temple getting their doors blown off. Tough one to call a final margin.
I'll go with UConn by 35+. UConn is just too........UConn.
I'll go with UConn by 35+. UConn is just too........UConn.
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