On a day in which the senior class was honored, an underclassman stole the spotlight on the court. Sophomore forward Kristen McCarthy led all scorers with 22 point as the women’s basketball team beat George Washington, 61-51.
The Owls came out of the gates hot, scoring the first 11 points of the game. The Colonials fought back, however, taking the lead at 22-21 with a little more than five minutes remaining the first half. A three-pointer and four free-throws by McCarthy helped the Owls bounce back, putting the lead at 34-26 at halftime.
George Washington closed the gap to three in the second half, but could never get closer than that. Both teams shot poorly, with the Owls making 33.9 percent of their shots while the Colonials made 32.6 percent of theirs. Both teams played sloppily, producing 32 turnovers between them.
“Today’s game wasn’t pretty whatsoever,” Temple coach Tonya Cardoza said. “We started off hot and I think we relaxed and took a step back, thinking it would be really easy. GW, their record is 6-21 but every game that I’ve watched, they fight to the very end. Their record definitely doesn’t indicate the type of team they have.”
McCarthy shot seven-of-15 from the field, including two-of-four from beyond the arc. McCarthy reached double-figure scoring for the seventh straight game. McCarthy has averaged 20.7 points per game. Despite this recent success, McCarthy’s approach hasn’t changed.
“We’re just running the offense and in the flow of things I’m just taking my shots,” McCarthy said. “Fortunately they’re going in. I just keep playing.”
Three seniors were honored before the game for their commitment to the program. Senior guard LaKeisha Eaddy had six assists and four points while senior forward Jasmine Stone scored 13 points while grabbing seven rebounds. Senior guard Kristie Watkins-Day scored five points in 28 minutes of play.
Eaddy also had a steal, giving her 237 for her career, which tied her with Pam Balogh for first on Temple’s All-Time list. Being amongst the All-Time Temple greats has yet to hit the Columbia, MD, native, she said.
“I haven’t really had a chance to think about it,” Eaddy said. “I’ve been playing and trying not to focus on breaking records. I’ve been focusing on helping my team the best I could. To actually know that I’m up there and I could possibly be number one in it is an accomplishment for me. It’s something I can look back on.”
Next up for Temple is a trip to Upper Marlboro, MD, to participate in the Atlantic Ten Conference Tournament. The Owls have secured a first round bye in the tournament. The extra time off will be beneficial, Cardoza said.
“I think we all need a couple of days off away from each other,” Cardoza said. “Not that there’s anything going on, but I think sometimes you need to take a step away from the game. We’ve been going at it, without a real break, since Christmas. We definitely need a couple of days off to get our heads back on and refocus on the next chapter, and that’s the A-10.”
The Cherry and White are slated to be a #3 seed in the tournament and will play the winner of the #6/#11 match-up. Tipoff is set for Mar. 6 at 8pm.
Kyle Gauss can be reached at kgauss@gmail.com
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