Temple outlasts La Salle in Women’s Big 5 Classic semifinal
Sophomore guard Kaylah Turner came off the bench and led the Owls with 17 points. Next up: Villanova in the final.
A Big 5 women’s championship would be an announcement that the Owls, coming off a share of the American Athletic Conference regular-season title last season, are ready to take flight again. Temple took a step in that direction Sunday with a 73-68 victory over La Salle to earn a spot in the inaugural Women’s Big 5 Classic title game.
The Owls (4-3) will face Villanova for the Big 5 crown on Friday night. “It’s the championship before the championship,” Temple guard Tarriyonna Gary said. “This is going to be a good test for us.”
Temple handed La Salle (4-4) its first loss at John Glaser Arena behind a career-high 17 points from sophomore guard Kaylah Turner. Gary added 12 points, all of which came in the tightly contested fourth quarter. Villanova (5-3) beat St. Joseph’s, 81-65, Sunday to reach the final.
Before Sunday, the Explorers men and women were 7-0 at home since the newly renovated arena hosted its first game on Nov. 4. Aryss Macktoon paced La Salle with 14 points while Ayisse Magassa and Ashleigh Connor added 12 apiece.
Fourth-quarter Gary
La Salle turned a 38-30 Temple halftime lead into a 51-47 Explorers lead by the end of the third quarter. The Explorers outscored the Owls, 21-9, in the period. Temple needed an offensive lift to push itself back in front, which it found in Gary. The fifth-year guard scored 12 of 26 Temple points in the period. She knocked down a three from the right corner to give the Owls a 65-64 lead with 2 minutes, 3 seconds remaining. Temple led the rest of the way.
“It was good to see her [do well], because I know she’s been struggling,” Temple coach Diane Richardson said. “She’s one of those kids that is in the gym all the time. To see her get that three knocked down today, it makes me feel good.”
Before Sunday, Gary had yet to record a double-figure scoring game. She averaged 9 points for the Owls last season.
“I definitely needed that to go in,” Gary said. “My teammates needed me to come through and make the shot as well. I just focused on the basket and shooting the ball.”
Turner off the bench
Turner carried the scoring load early for the Owls, with 10 of her points coming in the second quarter. The Alabama A&M transfer played 21 minutes for the Owls off the bench. Turner now has back-to-back double-figure scoring games after posting 15 points in the Owls’ loss to Princeton.
“She does well off the bench,” Richardson said. “She does well if she were to start, too. She has given us a spark plug.”
» READ MORE: La Salle leaps into next Saturday’s Big 5 Classic championship with a decisive win over Temple
Turner averaged 11.2 points last year with Alabama A&M and was named the 2023-24 Southwestern Athletic Conference rookie of the year.
Big 5 Classic triple-header
Temple will face Villanova in the final game of a Women’s Big 5 Classic triple-header at the Finneran Pavilion on Friday at 8 p.m. (NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus).
“The history of the Big 5 championship was overwhelming for me when I first got here,” Richardson said. “For us to be able to play in a championship game, it makes me feel good. Our team has worked really hard to get there.”
The Explorers will face Penn (6-3) in the fifth-place game at 3:30 p.m. (NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus). La Salle will open its A-10 slate against Loyola Chicago (5-3) on Tuesday in Chicago (6 p.m., ESPN+).