Tigers Women's Basketball Drops AAC Opener At Temple

Wednesday, December 30

Philadelphia, Pa.

6 pm CT

University of Memphis

6-6,0-1American

Temple

7-4,1-0American

Memphis

Temple

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Tigers Women's Basketball Drops AAC Opener At Temple

Dec 30, 2015 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Rowser scores season-high 21 points, Wright records 10th career double-double.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – For the University of Memphis women's basketball team, the recurring theme was slow starts in the Tigers' American Athletic Conference opener at Temple Wednesday. The Owls opened the first and third periods with double-digit runs on their way to a 82-58 league victory over Memphis.

The win improves Temple to 7-4 overall and 1-0 in league play. Memphis falls to 6-6 overall and 0-1 in The American.

The Tigers look to capture their first conference win of 2015-16 when they host their American Athletic Conference home opener at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse Sunday, Jan. 3 at 4 p.m. (CT). The Memphis-Tulane match-up will be televised on ESPNU.

Mooriah Rowser led Memphis with a season-high 21 points. Rowser tied a career high with three three-pointers. Brianna Wright added 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for her 10^th career double-double. Cheyenne Creighton scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds. Ariel Hearn had four assists.

Alliya Butts led Temple with 21 points. Tanaya Atkinson scored 18 points, and Donnaizha Fountain added 16 points. Erica Covile grabbed a team-high nine boards, and Feyonda Fitzgerald dished out six assists.

Temple led 42-26 at the half and used a 15-2 run to open the third period and put the game out of reach. Five different players scored for the Owls in their third-period opening spurt.

The Owls maintained their lead throughout the remainder of the third quarter and the final period.

Another first-quarter slow start plagued the Tigers. Temple opened the game with an 11-0 run, hitting five of its first seven shots. A Rowser jumper ended the Owls' run and got the Memphis offense going. The Tigers matched Temple point-for-point the remainder of the period and trailed 23-16 heading into the second quarter.

Rowser led the Tigers with 12 points in the opening period. Her three-pointer with 2:29 left pulled Memphis to within six at 19-13.

The second quarter began much like the first with Temple extending its lead early. The Owls opened the second period's first five minutes with an 11-4 spurt to push their advantage to 34-20. A Creighton layup cut the Temple lead to 12 points at 34-22 with 4:19 to play before halftime, but that was as close as the Tigers got the remainder of the quarter.

Memphis shot 39 percent from the floor and 80 percent from the free throw line. Temple hit 53.1 percent from the field and 35 percent from the three-point arc. The Tigers out-rebounded the Owls 36-31.