Temple Women’s Basketball broke records in its 109-43 win against Delaware State on Monday. Head coach Diane Richardson’s equal-opportunity offense was on full display in the rout, and each Temple player seemed comfortable and confident on the floor.
Temple looked like a completely different team on Thursday. The offense stalled in the first half, and the Owls could not find the same synergy or momentum at any point.
The Owls (1-1, 0-0 American Athletic Conference) lost to Georgetown (2-0, 0-0 Big East) 68-45 Thursday night at The Liacouras Center. The Owls struggled on the offensive end and could not stop the Hoyas in the first half, which led to the loss.
“Obviously, Georgetown played a tough game, and they came in here wanting it,” Richardson said. “They stepped up their game, and we didn’t respond. We have some things to work on.”
Temple entered the game looking for a chance to go 2-0 for the first time since 2019 when they beat Fairfield and Duquesne. However, the Hoyas proved to be tougher competition than their 11-point win over Maryland Eastern Shore may have implied.
Georgetown started the game off hot and continued hitting shots for the rest of the game. The Hoyas went 10-13 from the floor in the first quarter, which propelled them to a 24-8 lead after the first 10 minutes.
From there, the Hoyas gained steam and could not be stopped. They entered halftime with a 39-17 lead and refused to look back. The Owls could not find ways to respond, and Richardson took notice.
“I didn’t think they did enough,” Richardson said. “One of the things we can’t do is get punched first. We have to have that mentality.”
Georgetown’s offense moved the ball well throughout the game, which was key to their efficient shooting. The Hoyas had 22 assists as a team and found open shooters all around the floor. They finished shooting almost 53 percent from the floor and 5-11 from three.
Every time Temple found some semblance of momentum, Georgetown countered with a shot or possession to take it right back.
“I don’t think we were dwelling on Monday,” said forward Rayne Tucker. “I think we came out and couldn’t make shots.”
Georgetown guard Kelsey Ransom had 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Forward Graceann Bennett added 12 points and six rebounds in the frontcourt and neutralized Temple’s bigs for the majority of the evening.
Meanwhile, the Owls struggled from the top down. Tucker and guard Tarriyonna Gary led the way for the Cherry and White, finishing as the only two Owls with double-digit points. Tucker had 12 points, and Gary added 12 points off the bench.
Temple’s frontcourt, which played well against Delaware State, could not find success against Georgetown. The Hoyas grabbed almost twice as many rebounds, and the Owls could not end possessions on their end of the floor. The Hoyas showed a lot of fight, which Richardson credits to their passion for their former head coach Tasha Butts, who passed away before the season after a two-year battle with breast cancer.
“They are playing hard for their coach [Butts] they lost to cancer,” Richardson said. “I get emotional because she was a friend of mine, and I know she’s proud of her team.”
However, as much as the missed shots hurt, turnovers killed Temple’s chances in this game. Both teams struggled with possession, but Temple had 16 turnovers and seemingly got in its own way at times.
Simply put, the Hoyas hit shots where the Owls couldn’t, and that was the difference.
After this first loss of the season, the Owls will stay home, looking to bounce back against Bucknell (0-1, 0-0 Patriot League) Saturday at 7 p.m.
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