St. Joe’s women top Temple in overtime to stay undefeated
St. Joe’s was led by Laura Ziegler, who recorded 21 points to go along with 13 rebounds.
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The Temple women’s basketball team played a rare game that wasn’t a blowout Wednesday night, but St. Joseph’s 67-65 overtime win at the Liacouras Center sure started that way.
The Hawks jumped to a 19-4 lead to open the game and still led 24-11 going into the second quarter. But the Owls clawed back, and it took a Chloe Welch free throw for St. Joe’s with two seconds left in regulation to send the game into OT.
Statistical leaders
St. Joe’s (5-0) was led by Laura Ziegler’s 21 points and 13 rebounds. Gabby Casey provided a spark off the bench with 15 points.
For Temple (2-4), freshman guard Tristen Taylor put on the best performance of her young career with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. Aleah Thompson added 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, Rayne Tucker contributed 10 points and 12 rebounds.
» READ MORE: This St. Joe’s grad transfer crossed the 1,000-point threshold, but she’s not stopping there
What we saw
After the first quarter in which they shot 38% from the field, the Owls turned their fortunes around with efficient offensive play and an improved defensive performance. They outscored the Hawks 18-15 in the second quarter, 15-10 in the third quarter, and 15-10 again in the fourth.
“We just been in chill mode in the first quarter,” said head coach Diane Richardson. “If they didn’t know it before, they know it now. We have got to start firing in the first quarter… We were down a lot of points in the first quarter and won every quarter after that.”
But in overtime, St. Joe’s recovered offensively and slowed Temple’s fast-paced offense.
» READ MORE: In a dogfight between Temple and Ole Miss, a last-second shot was the difference
Game-changing play
Temple had a 59-58 lead with 10 seconds left in regulation when Taylor’s inbound pass was stolen by Ziegler, leading to Welch’s game-tying free throw. Welch missed her second free throw, and a three-point attempt by the Owls’ Thompson missed, sending the game to overtime.
“It was a turnover,” Taylor said. “There’s no excuse for it.”
Up next
Temple travels to Tempe, Ariz., for the Briann January Classic, Dec. 1 and 2. The Owls will face Xavier in their first game and Pacific the next day. St. Joe’s next game is Tuesday at Bucknell.