Women's Basketball Hosts Memphis on Saturday

PHILADELPHIA -- The Temple women's basketball team puts its 10-game winning streak on the line on Saturday, hosting conference-rival, Memphis, at 2:00 p.m. on ESPN3. Dave Leno (pbp) and Chelsea Wilson (analyst) will be on the call as the Owls (14-3, 5-0) look to sweep the season series against the Tigers (8-10, 1-4).

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SCOUTING TEMPLE
Temple is 14-3 overall with a 5-0 mark in American Athletic Conference play. The Owls have won 10-straight games, a streak that began on December 10 with an 83-48 win at Villanova.

Four Temple players average in double-figures in scoring, led by senior guard Feyonda Fitzgerald's 19.2 points and 7.4 assists per contest. Junior Alliya Butts averages 15.6 points per game with a team-best 34 steals. Junior Donnaizha Fountain averages 13.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, while classmate Tanaya Atkinson (12.7 ppg, 8.1 rpg) contributes on both ends of the floor.

Senior Ruth Sherrill has come on strong since breaking into the starting line-up and averages 5.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Junior Khadijah Berger averages 4.0 points and 2.8 boards per game, while senior Safiya Martin (2.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg) tops the team with 23 total blocks.

Temple averages 72.4 points per game, giving up 60.1. The Owls shoot 39.9% from the field and 32.3% from long-range. Temple forces an average of 16.9 turnovers per game, and out-rebounds opponents by a +6.0 margin.

LAST TIME OUT
Temple grabbed win number 10 in a row, topping Houston 69-57 on the road on Wednesday night. Houston made it a close game with extended runs in the second and third quarters, but each time the Owls responded with surges of their own to put things away.

Temple shot 42.9% (9-21) from three-point range and held a 49-31 edge on the glass, working around 19 turnovers.

The Owls had a number of top performances on the night, led by a double-double from senior Feyonda Fitzgerald who poured in 22 points with 11 assists. Junior Donnaizha Fountain led all scorers with 23 points, finishing just shy of her own double-double with nine rebounds. Senior Ruth Sherrill smashed her career-high with 19 rebounds, while junior Alliya Butts added 14 points.

SCOUTING MEMPHIS
Memphis is 8-10 overall with a 1-4 record in American Athletic Conference play.

Three players average in double figures for the Tigers, led by Cheyenne Creighton, whose 14.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game are tops on the team. Brea Elmore averages 13.6 points per game, while Taylor Williams adds 11.5 points an outing. Breigha Wilder-Cochran (6.5 ppg) and Taylor Barnes (6.0 ppg) are also scoring threats for Memphis.

As a team, the Tigers shoot 40.4% from the field and 28.4% from three. Memphis averages 60.1 points per game, giving up 62.9. The Tigers swipe 9.4 steals per game and have a +1.5 turnover ratio.

LAST TIME OUT
Memphis fell on the road to 22/23 USF, 79-49 on Tuesday. The Tigers trailed just seven points at the half before a huge third quarter for the Bulls put the hosts up 20, killing any hope of an upset by Memphis.

Cheyenne Creighton tallied 13 points and seven rebounds for Memphis, while Taylor Williams also scored 13. Brea Elmore finished with 12 points, six boards and three assists, while Taylor Barnes ended the night with six points, seven rebounds, and a team-high four assists.

THE OWLS VS. THE TIGERS
Temple leads the all-time series with Memphis, 6-1, with all seven meetings coming in American Athletic Conference regular season play.

Memphis broke a string of five-straight losses to Temple with a five-overtime victory last season. Temple won the earlier meeting between the teams this season, 73-67 in overtime.

LAST TIME THEY MET: January 1, 2017 - Temple 73, Memphis 67 (OT)
Temple out-scored Memphis, 8-2 in an extra session, as the Owls topped the Tigers, 73-67 in overtime to open conference play for both teams.

A dramatic fourth-quarter saw both teams go on extended runs and both teams come up with big threes down the stretch. Temple rallied from a five-point deficit with under 3:00 minutes remaining, going up 62-59, before a three from Memphis' Taylor Williams tied it with 36.1 seconds to play. With the game knotted at 62-62, TU's Alliya Butts hit a three with 9.1 seconds remaining to put the Owls on top once again. On the ensuing possession, Memphis again answered, sending the game into overtime with a buzzer-beating three from Cheyenne Creighton.

Three players notched double-doubles for the Owls, led by a 19-point, 10-assist, 8-rebound stat line from Feyonda Fitzgerald, who tallied her second double-double of the season. Ruth Sherrill (11 points, 11 rebounds) and Donnaizha Fountain (11 points, 10 rebounds) also nabbed double-doubles for the Owls. Butts finished her night with 16 points, while Tanaya Atkinson had 12 points and seven boards.

Memphis' Williams led all players with 20 points, while Brea Elmore added 17 points and five assists, while Cheyenne Creighton tallied 15 points with eight boards.

Game Notes (PDF)

Women's Basketball Hosts Memphis on Saturday

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Players Mentioned

Tanaya Atkinson

Khadijah Berger

Alliya Butts

Feyonda Fitzgerald

Donnaizha Fountain

Safiya Martin

Ruth Sherrill

Temple University Athletics