Women's Basketball Faces Kennesaw State on Wednesday

PHILADELPHIA -- The Temple women's basketball team looks for its sixth-straight win on Wednesday on the road at Kennesaw State. The 9-3 Owls play their second-to-last non-conference game of the season, tipping off at 2:00 p.m. on ESPN3.

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SCOUTING TEMPLE
Temple enters Wednesday's non-conference clash riding a five-game winning streak, improving to 9-3 on the season.

Senior guard Feyonda Fitzgerald leads the high-powered Temple offense, with 18.8 points and 6.8 assists per contest, and is coming off of back-to-back double-doubles. Junior Alliya Butts averages 16.9 points per game with a team-best 28 steals. Juniors Tanaya Atkinson (13.2 ppg, 8.4 rpg) and Donnaizha Fountain (12.1 ppg, 8.7 rpg) contribute for the Owls on both ends of the floor.

Senior Ruth Sherrill has come on strong since breaking into the starting line-up and averages 4.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Junior Khadijah Berger averages 4.8 points and 2.6 boards per game, while senior Safiya Martin (2.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg) tops the team with 19 total blocks.

Temple averages 71.7 points per game, giving up 63.2. The Owls shoot 38.8% from the field and 32.9% from long-range. Temple forces an average of 15.9 turnovers per game, and out-rebounds opponents by a +4.8 margin.

LAST TIME OUT
Temple won an overtime thriller on the road at Memphis, 73-67, marking the 173rd career victory for head coach Tonya Cardoza. The win made her the program's all-time winningest coach, surpassing Dawn Staley's (2000-08) 172 victories.

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, and went up by three with 9.1 seconds left on a strike from Alliya Butts. On the ensuing possession, Memphis again answered, sending the game into overtime with a buzzer-beating three.

Temple held Memphis to just 1-for-8 in the extra session, while getting four points each from senior Feyonda Fitzgerald and junior Tanaya Atkinson to seal the victory.

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

SCOUTING KENNESAW
Kennesaw State enters Wednesday's game with a 1-12 overall record, with their lone win coming against Savannah State at home on on November 26.

The Owls are led by Clara Young's 10.2 points per game, with the junior reaching double figures in points in seven of 13 match-ups this season. Allison Johnson averages 9.2 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds, while Deandrea Sawyers chips in with 9.2 points per game. Carlotta Gianolla paces the Owls with 9.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, shooting a team-best .426 from the field.

As a team, Kennesaw State averages 54.4 points per game, but gives up 71.9. The Owls shoot 33.0% from the field and 29.9% from long-range and grab an average of 8.2 steals per game.

LAST TIME OUT
Kennesaw State couldn't overcome a slow start, falling 78-49 to Wofford on Monday at home.

A combination of a hot-shooting Wofford team and a tough shooting day by Kennesaw State set the tone early as the Terriers shot 61.1 percent (11-for-18) from the field in the first quarter and led 26-8 after the opening 10 minutes. The Owls couldn't get the lead to single digits from there on.

Aareon Smith led the Owls with 10 points, while Katie Polinsky contributed career-high totals of six points and five rebounds, while Alexandra Landby set career highs with three points and three rebounds.

PHILLY OWLS VS. GEORGIA OWLS
This is the first ever meeting between Temple and Kennesaw State in women's basketball.

OWLS VS. OWLS
Wednesday's game will be just the third ever Owl vs. Owl meeting in Temple women's basketball program history.

Seven US colleges claim the Owl as their mascot:
Florida Atlantic (NCAA Div. I)
Keene State (NCAA Div. III)
Kennesaw State (NCAA Div. I)
Oregon Institute of Technology (NAIA)
Rice (NCAA Div. I)
Southern Connecticut State (NCAA Div. I)

The only Owl vs. Owl match-ups in Temple program history have come against Southern Connecticut State. Temple won both games, a 1975 meeting and a 1983 meeting, taking both by just one point.

Game Notes (PDF)

Women's Basketball Faces Kennesaw State on Wednesday

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Players Mentioned

Tanaya Atkinson

Khadijah Berger

Alliya Butts

Feyonda Fitzgerald

Donnaizha Fountain

Safiya Martin

Ruth Sherrill

Temple University Athletics