Short Turnaround Sees #23/20 TUWBB Play at UCF on Monday

PHILADELPHIA -- The #23/20 Temple women's basketball team plays its regular season finale on Monday, traveling to Orlando to face UCF at 7:00 p.m. The Owls have won six out of their last seven games, while the Knights, the fourth-seeded team in the upcoming conference tournament, have won six in a row.

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SCOUTING TEMPLE
Temple is 22-6 overall with a 12-3 mark in American Athletic Conference play. The Owls have won six out of their last seven games, most recently an 88-64 Senior Day win over Cincinnati.

Four Temple players average in double-figures in scoring, led by senior guard Feyonda Fitzgerald's 16.8 points and 7.3 assists per contest, with the assist total ranking her first in the American and seventh in the nation. Junior Donnaizha Fountain contributes 14.1 points and 7.5 rebounds a game, also adding 49 total steals, while classmate Alliya Butts averages 14.8 points per game with a team-best 57 steals. Junior Tanaya Atkinson averages 12.7 points per game and leads the team with 8.3 rebounds a game.

Elsewhere, senior forward Ruth Sherrill averages 4.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while junior Khadijah Berger averages 4.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. Senior Safiya Martin (2.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg) tops the team with 31 total blocks.

Temple averages 70.6 points per game, giving up 60.4. The Owls shoot 39.5% from the field and 33.3% from three. Temple forces 16.6 turnovers per game and out-rebounds opponents by a +3.8 margin.

LAST TIME OUT
The #23/20 Temple women's basketball team sent its seniors off in style, with a wire-to-wire 88-64 win over visiting Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon. Temple set the tone early in the game, not allowing the Bearcats a field goal in the first quarter, as the Owls jumped out to a 23-2 lead.

Though Cincinnati went an on an 8-2 run to open the second quarter, Temple's advantage didn't fall below 15 points the rest of the way. The Owls out-shot the Bearcats, 47.8% to 41.1% and held a 41-27 edge on the glass.

Individually, junior Tanaya Atkinson notched her ninth double-double of the season in spectacular fashion – scoring a career-best 30 points and adding a game-high 13 rebounds. Senior Feyonda Fitzgerald also rang up a double-double with 18 points and 11 assists. Junior Alliya Butts stuffed her stat line with 23 points, six assists, and three steals, while senior Safiya Martin had six points and four rebounds.

SCOUTING UCF
UCF is 19-9 overall with a 9-6 mark in The American. The Knights have won six-straight games, locking up the number four seed in the conference tournament.

Two players account for nearly half of the scoring for UCF, as Aliyah Gregory averages 16.6 points per game, while Zykira Lewis scores 15.7 points per contest. Lewis is the team's top threat from long-range, racking up 64 of the team's 85 total three pointers. Fifi Ndour (8.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg), Tolulope Omokore (7.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg), and Josslyn Massey (6.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg) round out the individual leaders for the Knights.

As a team, UCF has out-scored opponents by 9.1 points per game, as the Knights shoot 41.6% from the field. UCF has a +9.8 rebounding margin and a +2.6 turnover margin on the season.

LAST TIME OUT
UCF had a solid defensive effort on Saturday, topping SMU, 63-37, for their sixth-straight victory. The Knights held the Mustangs to just seven points in the first quarter and kept their lead over 18 points throughout the entire second half.

Zykira Lewis led all scorers with 24 points and had a game-high six steals, while Aliyah Gregory added 12 points and Fifi Ndour chipped in 11. Nyala Shuler grabbed a game-high nine rebounds and Korneila Wright dished out six assists.

THE OWLS VS. THE KNIGHTS
Temple leads the all-time series with UCF, 6-1, including winning all six meetings in the American Athletic Conference.

LAST TIME THEY MET: February 29, 2016, Temple 78, UCF 64 (at Temple)
Temple out-scored UCF, 21-9 in the third quarter en route to a 78-64 win on Senior Day.

Playing in her final regular season game at McGonigle Hall, senior Erica Covile notched her 16th-career double-double, ending her senior night with 18 points with 12 rebounds. Sophomore Tanaya Atkinson finished with a game-high 24 points, also adding nine rebounds and a pair of steals, while classmate Donnaizha Fountain had 18 points and five boards.

For UCF, Fifi Ndour ended the game with a team-high 16 points, adding 13 rebounds and seven assists. Aliyah Gregory finished with 15 points, while Joslyn Massey had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Game Notes (PDF)

Short Turnaround Sees #23/20 TUWBB Play at UCF on Monday

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Players Mentioned

Tanaya Atkinson

Khadijah Berger

Alliya Butts

Erica Covile

Feyonda Fitzgerald

Donnaizha Fountain

Safiya Martin

Ruth Sherrill

Temple University Athletics