Senior guard Feyonda Fitzgerald needed one assist heading into Wednesday’s game to become the program’s all-time assists leader. She got that assist with two minutes, 47 seconds left in the first quarter and had eight more to blow past the previous record.
Fitzgerald scored a game-high 22 points to lead the Owls (12-3, 3-0 American Athletic Conference) to a 78-47 blowout victory against East Carolina. She fell one assist shy of her fifth straight double-double.
“I always wanted to break the record,” Fitzgerald said. “But a record like this is all on my teammates, I gave them the ball and they finished when they had to. This record means a lot to me but I’m thankful for my teammates because they’re the reason I got it.”
Temple won its eighth straight game to remain undefeated in its seven games at McGonigle Hall, including a win against a ranked DePaul University team.
Every eligible Owl saw action in the win. Freshman guard Takora McIntyre scored her first collegiate bucket with less than a minute left in the game.
The big lead meant the Owls could rest the players who usually play big minutes. Fitzgerald and junior guard Alliya Butts both average more than 34 minutes per game. Wednesday night, Fitzgerald was the only Owl who played more than 30 minutes.
“It was good to get a win like this, where you can get everyone on the floor and see what they can do,” coach Tonya Cardoza said. “We’ve had the same starting lineup for the past eight games, so we were able to get more looks late in the game.”
The Owls held East Carolina to 32.7 percent shooting from the field and didn’t allow any 3-point baskets. The game was the fifth time Temple held its opponent to 50 points or less this season.
Temple also accumulated a season-high seven blocks, led by senior forward Ruth Sherrill, who finished with three blocks. Freshman center Shantay Taylor had two blocks.
“We had a really good game defensively,” Cardoza said. “Ruth [Sherrill] has been something else for us since she’s been in the starting lineup.”
Butts, who scored all of her 13 points in the second half, and junior guards Donnaizha Fountain and Tanaya Atkinson all scored in double figures. Fountain scored 14 points and Tanaya Atkinson finished with 13.
Temple’s next two games will be on the road. First up is a game against Tulsa Saturday afternoon.
Kevin Schaeffer can be reached at kevinschaeffer@temple.edu or on Twitter @_kevinschaeffer. Follow The Temple News on Twitter @TheTempleNews and @TTN_Sports.
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