Temple University’s losing streak is now at four games after dropping both games at the Miami Thanksgiving Classic Tournament this weekend.
In the days following Thanksgiving, women’s basketball lost 56-50 to Radford University on Friday and again fell to the University of Miami Hurricanes 73-61 on Sunday.
Temple (2-4) hasn’t won since it beat Saint Joseph’s on Nov. 9. Coach Tonya Cardoza said the Owls’ inability to make shots have hindered the team from success.
“We’ve been inconsistent,” Cardoza said. “If we made shots, we’d be sitting here undefeated, honestly. We’re not shooting a high percentage from outside of the paint and we have to make shots.”
Miami, which is ranked No. 24 in the Associated Press Poll, outscored the Owls in every quarter. In the first quarter, neither team led by more than three points, but by the end of the first half, the Hurricanes led by nine. At halftime, Temple’s shooting percentage was 27.8 compared to Miami’s 41.9 percent.
The Owls’ shooting woes dated back to its first game of the tournament against Radford where there the Owls scored just four points in the first ten minutes.
“It all boils down to being able to make shots and … against Radford, we had to really fight and claw to get back in the game,” Cardoza said. “It is exerting a lot of energy with that fight and if we’re making shots, we don’t have to fight that way.”
Against Radford, Temple shot 32.8 percent from the field while making just 3 if its 19 3-point attempts.
Graduate student guard Alliya Butts and sophomore forward Mia Davis scored double-digit points in both games. Against Miami, Davis scored a team-high 19 points while pulling in 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season.
Butts added 18 points, five rebounds and assists, along with three steals. Butts put up a similar stat line against Radford, scoring 19 points with another five assists and four steals. Her play in the two games earned her All-Tournament honors.
“[Butts is] really coming into her own,” Cardoza said. “We weren’t expecting her to play this many minutes this early for us, and she’s really just competing and trying to find ways to help her team win, and I love the fight that she has right now.”
Temple has one more away game to play to complete its six-game road trip. On Dec. 3, the Owls will face DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. After DePaul, Temple returns home for the first time in a month when they take on Iona College on Dec. 6 in McGonigle Hall.
“We’re definitely looking forward to being at home,” Cardoza said. “It’s been a long stretch on the road, and we have one more. We’ve got to find a way to win that one, but it’ll be great to be back home.”
Be the first to comment