New faces hope to send Owls dancing

Temple Women’s Basketball revamped its roster with seven new players in preparation for another run for an American Athletic Conference title.

Amaya Oliver and Savannah Curry huddled up with their teammates. | NOEL CHACKO / THE TEMPLE NEWS

Temple took the American Athletic Conference by storm last season by earning a share of the American Athletic Conference regular season title in head coach Diane Richardson’s second season. But the Owls bowed out of the AAC tournament in heartbreaking fashion to Rice in the semifinals.

To add insult to injury, the Owls also lost four of their five starters from last season. Richardson and her staff entered the offseason on the prowl for new faces to fill the roster. The coaches found exactly what they were looking for and added six new players and one familiar face.

“We’re trying to build on last year’s regular season conference title but we want to go further this year,” Richardson said. “We want to outright win the tournament. Not only do we want to win the regular season, but we want to win the tournament to ensure that we can get to the NCAA Tournament.”

Here’s a glimpse at the Owls’ new roster as they chase another regular season AAC title.

Amaya Oliver

Temple had a hole in the frontcourt following the departures of forwards Rayne Tucker and Ines Piper, and the former Loyola Marymount forward can help fill the gap.

The Owls ranked fourth in the AAC in rebounding margin last season, largely due to the tandem of Tucker and Piper. Oliver’s six rebounds per game last season can ensure the trend continues.

Oliver averaged nine points while shooting 52 percent from the field with the Lions last season. She also notched double figures 15 times, including three games where she achieved a double-double.

Anissa Rivera

Rivera, a transfer guard from Towson, adds depth to a depleted Owls frontcourt and has a past connection with the coaching staff. She played the 2021-22 season with Richardson at Towson and is returning to basketball after taking a gap year last season.

Rivera averaged nine points and six rebounds per game in her two years with the Tigers. She showcased her length and athleticism at Towson, racking up 46 blocks and 52 steals during her tenure.

Rivera gives Temple a reliable two-way player who can attack the rim on the offensive end and keep defenses on its toes. She can space the floor with an improved three-point shot, shooting 25% from behind the arc at Towson.

“I’m just trying to help my team,” Rivera said. “If I need to rebound this game then I’m going to just rebound this game. I use my length to my full ability, I’m not like the fastest or the quickest, but most of the time I’m probably the longest so I just use my length and go hard.”

Kaylah Turner

The transfer guard from Alabama A&M turned heads during her first season, earning SWAC Freshman of the Year. Turner averaged 11 points per game for the Bulldogs and proved to be an efficient scorer early in her career, reaching double figures 18 times last season.

Turner’s scoring can provide the Owls a boost off the bench, similar to guard Tristen Taylor’s role last season. 

“Kaylah Turner is very fast and so we see Tristan Taylor, Aleah Nelson 2.0 in her,” Richardson said. “She’s very, very fast and she can score, so we expect some good things out of her.”

The Freshmen (278)

Guard Savannah Curry is the standout player of the Owls’ freshman class. The Maryland native spent two seasons at Roland Park Country School in Baltimore before she transferred to The Westtown School in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Another addition to North Broad is guard Adena Webster, who came to the United States from the Bahamas in 2021 hoping to play college basketball. She played for Schoolhouse Prep, Archbishop Caroll and the Central Florida Elite AAU squad in Florida. While on the court for Archbishop Caroll, she averaged 34 points per game. 

Forward Felicia Jacobs, the only forward of the freshman class, joins the Owls from England and can become a valuable asset on both ends of the court. She was named MVP of the U18 Final at the City of London Academy Southwark and averaged 12 points and 11 rebounds per game in her final season of high school ball.

“Savannah Curry and Felicia [Jacobs] both have been impact players right away,” said assistant coach Myles Jackson. “What we brought them here to do, they’re excelling in those things and they’re also to their game.”

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