Temple was stuck in the mud during the second quarter of its game against Wichita State on Wednesday. The Owls hit just two shots in the period and watched their 10-point lead evaporate into a three-point deficit going into the break. Coming out of halftime, Temple was desperate for a kickstart to push its win streak to three against the second-to-last team in the conference.
Temple found the boost it needed and never looked back after snatching the lead. From there, the Owls hit the gas and flexed its muscles against the Shockers.
The Owls outscored Wichita State by 16 in four minutes and took complete control. While Wichita State attempted to climb back in the fourth quarter, the ending was already set in stone.
Temple (16-10, 10-5 American Athletic Conference) rolled past Wichita State (9-19, 3-12 AAC) 70-51 Wednesday night at The Liacouras Center. Temple scored 31 points in the third quarter of play while holding Wichita State to just seven in the win.
“It was a good win for us. We’re pretty happy about that,” said head coach Diane Richardson. “I think we had to turn up our defense in the second half to get this thing done.”
Temple came soaring out of the gate with guard Tariyonna Gary getting the action started when she drilled a three-pointer. Shockers’ guard Taylor Jameson was pickpocketed on their first possession of the game by Owls’ forward Jaleesa Molina, who went down the court for an easy fastbreak layup to take a 5-0 lead.
The Owls’ defense was able to keep them ahead for much of the first quarter. Shockers’ guard Princess Anderson went on a personal 8-0 run in a three minute span to take the lead, but that was Wichita’s only bright spot in the first 10 minutes. Temple allowed just one Shockers field goal in the final six minutes of the quarter and took the upperhand.
Forward Anissa Rivera got a bucket and guard Kaylah Turner chipped in with a layup to give the Owls a three-point cushion. Temple shot just 43% from the field in the quarter, but its 12 rebounds and defense holding Wichita State to just four field goals helped it hold an 18-10 lead to close out the quarter.
Everything that could have gone wrong for Temple did in the second quarter, as its offense stagnated and couldn’t get back on track. The Shockers answered with a six-point spurt to cut the lead to four and continued to inch closer during the period. Temple continuously coughed the ball up and finished the half with 11 turnovers, which was three more than the number of field goals the Owls connected on in the first half.
Shockers’ guard Salese Blow had just two points in the first quarter but found her footing in the second. She notched eight points in the quarter to go with Anderson, who had five. A five-point spurt by Blow gave the Shockers their first lead since the five-minute mark of the first period as Temple continued to grasp at straws to stay afloat.
Gary finally ended the cold streak for Temple with a three-pointer in the waning minutes of the half. The bucket tied the game at 25 but the sigh of relief was short-lived. Anderson knocked down her own shot from beyond the arc to give the Shockers a 28-25 lead heading into the locker room.
“We talked about it at halftime,” Richardson said. “We have to win together and everybody has to be a part and to play together. I think they went out there with that intention that we all play together.”
Temple came out of the half looking to shake the funk it had during the entirety of the second quarter. The Owls seemingly did so and reverted back to form to open up the third quarter, shooting out a cannon to re-establish control.
Gary knocked down her first of four three-pointers in the quarter, which kickstarted a quick 8-2 run and helped Temple take a 35-30 lead. The Shockers tried to mount a comeback effort like they had in the previous quarter, but it was unsuccessful and the game quickly got out of reach.
Temple’s shooting woes disappeared and the Owls went 11-18 in the period. The Owls’ five-point lead quickly turned to 21 following a 16-0 run in a four minute span. When the dust settled, the Owls held a 56-35 lead and the Shockers had just three buckets in the 10-minute span.
The fourth quarter finalized what was already known as the third quarter came to a close. Wichita State made a late push, but it wasn’t enough. Gary was the one to hold the Shockers off with 25 points. Turner finished with 15 points and the Owls cruised to their third consecutive win.
“It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish,” Gary said. “I feel like we’re on the track to possibly become champions. As long as we keep the same energy, effort, teamwork, everything, like defense, everything, collectively, working as a whole, I feel like we have a good chance.”
Temple will be back on the road when it takes on Memphis (6-18, 4-9 AAC) on Feb. 25 at 8 p.m.
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