Temple Women’s Basketball made history on March 6, earning the program’s first American Athletic Conference regular season title by beating Florida Atlantic 74-53. The Owls are now in Fort Worth, Texas, and are looking to finish what they started by winning the AAC Tournament and earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament later this month.
However, that quest will not be easy. They need to win three games at Dickies Arena in three straight days, starting with Tulane in the quarterfinals.
The teams have played each other twice this season, and Temple swept both matchups. The Owls took down the Green Wave 68-50 on Jan. 28 before beating them at The Liacouras Center 69-52 during their five-game winning streak.
Temple is playing confident basketball and has a legitimate case to win the tournament, but Tulane is heating up. Here’s what you need to know before the Owls and Green Wave tip off on March 11 at 9 p.m.
OWLS ARE FLYING
Temple has flipped a switch since ending non-conference play at 6-6 and is playing its best basketball of the season. The Owls have lost just three games since falling to Memphis on Jan. 14, and guards Demi Washington and Tarriyonna Gary have seen significant strides, including Gary’s career-high six three-pointers against FAU.
Temple swept Tulane in convincing fashion this season. The Owls shrugged off a slow start in their first meeting and ended with an 18-point rout. Tulane hung with Temple a bit longer the second time, trailing by six points at the end of the third quarter, but the Owls outscored the Green Wave 17-6 in the fourth and secured the victory.
Temple’s focus has been its defense. The Owls held opponents to fewer than 60 points in five games since losing to Memphis with center Rayne Tucker as the anchor of Temple’s frontcourt. Tulane’s offense is led by its forwards, and Tucker will have to be up to the task.
The Owls were picked to finish ninth in the conference in the preseason, and they came to Texas to prove their doubters wrong.
“We talked about it at the beginning of the season: we wanted to win a conference tournament championship,” said Temple head coach Diane Richardson. “A lot of people didn’t think we could do it. We’re here now, as regular-season champions. We just gotta keep going.”
PREGAME FOCUS
Temple held practice at Duncanville High School in Duncanville, Texas, guard Tristen Taylor’s high school, on March 10. It was a nice homecoming for Taylor and a fun visit for the team, as they got to see where Taylor’s ‘Lil Dunc’ nickname originated.
“[Being here] feels good,” Taylor said. “It feels good to bring my teammates here, just feeling the atmosphere, and that atmosphere is striving to get a championship.”
There were smiles and laughs before practice, but it was all business once Richardson called for the opening huddle.
Temple spent half of its two-hour practice focusing solely on its defense, mainly about communicating off-ball. Defense has been the pillar of Temple’s success, and its ability to turn defense into offense will be crucial.
Richardson also mentioned Taylor will be playing more minutes down the stretch because of her on-ball defensive ability.
Tulane has played two games in two days entering the quarterfinals, but Temple has enjoyed five days to rest before facing the Green Wave. The Owls hope the rest will play to their benefit, as they seek a quick start to get their feet under them.
“We gotta jump on them early,” Richardson said. “They may be tired. They’ll have played a game before us, so hopefully we’ll have fresh legs and they won’t.”
ON TULANE
Tulane started its year well but had just three wins in AAC play, ending the regular season with eight consecutive losses. They’ve turned their fortunes around in the Lone Star State, narrowly beating Southern Methodist in the first round and dominating Charlotte in the second. Tulane has relied on team basketball and strong defense to pick up wins, which could limit Temple in key ways.
The Green Wave held Charlotte to less than 25 percent shooting on March 10 and assisted on all but seven field goals. They kept the 49ers at bay by limiting guard Dazia Lawrence to 5-17 from the field and forcing Charlotte’s supporting cast to step up, which they couldn’t do.
Any team with good defense and chemistry can be dangerous, and Tulane has found a winning formula. Head coach Lisa Stockton believes the Green Wave can match up with any contender if they keep up their momentum.
“This is the players’ tournament, and if they do what they did [against Charlotte], we have a chance,” Stockton said. “They’re playing to have another night, and if they play like that, I think we can beat anybody.”
However, Temple has had Tulane’s number this year. The Green Wave has yet to prove they have the pieces to beat their foe.
Stockton is not concerned with Tulane’s losses and instead preached how to beat Temple. Namely, she believes Tulane can win by limiting turnovers and matching its opponent early.
“We turned the ball over too much [at Temple],” Stockton said. “We’ve won these past two games because we’ve shared the ball and not tried to force things. Temple is really playing well, and we have to come out with a lot of energy.”
SPOILER ALERT
Declan Landis, Sports Editor: “Tulane has played good basketball in Fort Worth, but Temple has a lot of momentum. The Owls have the keys to beat the Green Wave but need to start quickly in order to assert their will.
The Owls will move on if they control the pace of play and utilize aggressive defense to create turnovers. I think they’ll do just that and check off box one toward winning the AAC.”
Temple wins 72-55.
Johnny Zawislak, Assistant Sports Editor: “Tulane has done a great job playing team basketball and jumping on opponents early in Fort Worth. In Temple’s previous matchups with Tulane, its defense has been the key.
The Owls need to jump out to a quick start and turn defense into offense, something they’ve done well this season. I believe the Owls can do just that and become one step closer to the conference championship.”
Temple wins 75-64.
Ryan Mack, Assistant Sports Editor: “The Green Wave will come into the game with momentum, but Temple beat them twice after slow starts, something they have to avoid in this game.
Temple has been playing its best basketball as of late. Their ‘equal-opportunity’ offense has been great and taken the load off of Aleah Nelson. If players like Demi Washington and Tiarra East play like they have the last few weeks, Temple will be in the semifinals.”
Temple wins 79-60.
Jaison Nieves, Sports Social Media Manager: “Temple found its rhythm to close the regular season, winning nine of its last 11 games, and I think that trend continues into tournament play.
The Owls’ most important key to winning this game is effort and energy, which I believe they will have no issue with. They will pick up the win to advance to the semifinals.”
Temple wins 68-50.
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