Early foul trouble plagues Temple in loss to South Florida
The Owls also were outrebounded, 40-31, by the Bulls. Coach Diane Richardson said “that was the difference in the game.”
The Temple women’s basketball team entered Saturday with an opportunity to take down one of the top teams in the American Athletic Conference in South Florida, but things did not go as planned.
After the Owls built a four-point lead late in the first quarter, things began to go south. The Bulls used a 10-1 run to close the first half with the lead and never let it go.
The Owls (13-10, 7-5 American Athletic Conference) cut their deficit to just two points with 6 minutes, 2 seconds to go, but South Florida (16-8, 9-2) held off the Owls, 64-57, at the Liacouras Center.
“It was a tough game,” Owls coach Diane Richardson said. “We did some really good things, and then some things that weren’t enough to get the win. So we’ve got to work on rebounding. I think that was the difference in the game today.”
Tiarra East led Temple in scoring with 15 points, while Tarriyonna Gary and Kaylah Turner pitched in with 11 and 10, respectively. Meanwhile, Sammie Puisis led the Bulls with 15 points on 5-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-10 from three. L’or Mputu (14 points, seven rebounds) and Carla Brito (11 points, nine rebounds) also finished in double figures.
Foul trouble
Temple found itself in early foul trouble. By the end of the first half, the Owls had four players with two fouls, three of whom were their top guards in East, Gary, and Turner.
This forced Temple to mix up its rotations, and freshman guards Savannah Curry and Kelian Cedano played more minutes than normal.
“It bothered us,” Richardson said. “Our guards got in foul trouble, and when we put the subs in, there was a bit of a drop-off.”
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Both teams have a physical style, but the foul trouble forced the Owls to adjust their scheme.
Temple finished with 23 fouls to South Florida’s 13. Gary and forward Anissa Rivera fouled out.
“I’m going to be honest,” Richardson said. “Twenty-three fouls to 13 fouls, that is just unheard of. I thought they had their hands on us a lot. They’re a physical team, and for [South Florida] to only have 13 fouls was just not normal.”
Rebounding struggles
As has been the case for much of the season, rebounding also was an issue for the Owls. They’re 11th in the AAC in rebounds per game (37.0). South Florida, however, is 12th (36.2).
South Florida outrebounded Temple, 40-31. Eleven of those 40 rebounds were on the offensive glass, which extended possessions and curtailed Temple’s rally. South Florida’s second-quarter rebounding advantage, 15-8, was the most stark.
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“I think it’s just the will to know that when the shot goes up, we have to box out,” East said. “We have to go after the rebound instead of just watching.”
Up next
The Owls will host UAB (15-9, 6-6) on Tuesday (6 p.m., ESPN+).