By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru
PHILADELPHIA – In another time when conference alignments and schedules were much different, the real showdown games in the local Big Five women’s wars came much later.
This was also when Penn was more of a doormat than the current era in which the Quakers and Princeton have become the dominant powers with titles in the Ivy League.
So, for the most part in the past, the City Series issue was decided, or went a long way to be decided, depending on who played Villanova in late December or when Temple and Saint Joseph’s matched up in one of their two Atlantic 10 games before the Owls moved away to what became The American.
Now, the key Big Five events come quick, real quick, like virtually right out of the gate.
Shakedown cruises are no longer plentiful, and so it was here in Temple’s McGonigle Hall after the Owls defeated Duquesne, 85-72, to complete a 2-0 start against non-conference rivals, that coach Tonya Cardoza, as part of her responses in the postgame press conference, noted, “We have a game Monday against Saint Joe’s, a Big Five game that is the most important game.”
The contest is over on Hawk Hill at Hagan Arena at 7 p.m. and because going unbeaten in the four-game City Series round robin is the easiest way to the local hardware, it becomes a must game even as opening week will reach its final day.
Both teams are giving early signs of being much improved on the strength of new additions, Saint Joe’s having played its sole game ahead of Monday, pulling away at the finish Thursday night for a 71-57 victory over Columbia in Levien Gymnasium up in New York.
That is the same way things went here Friday with a close contest existing much of the night against the Dukes, a former annual rival from Pittsburgh back in Temple’s A-10 days, until the Owls exploded on a 19-3 run from the end of the third period and into the fourth.
One prominent newcomer is transfer Ashley Jones, a former Neumann-Goretti star locally, who previously played at West Virginia.
In the win Tuesday here against Fairfield, she poured 21 points, while on Friday night she scored 13 and tied career-highs with nine assists and six rebounds.
“If we keep it close and we focus and pay attention, we can now pull away and that’s what happened to us today,” Cardoza said.
Veteran forward Mia Davis had her second straight double double and 14th overall by scoring a game high 26 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
Marissa Mackins was once again deadly from beyond the arc, this time connecting on 4-of-6 three-balls and finishing with 18 points.
After dishing seven assists in her college debut Tuesday, freshman Asonah Alexander dealt eight, while overall as a team Temple dealt 21 on 32 field goals that dropped through the nets.
“That’s one of our pluses this year,” Cardoza referred to the statistic. “We have so many guys that can score and we have so many unselfish players willing to give up the basketball. We have many players who can get us 15-plus on any given night, and that makes us more dangerous.”
Temple won the battle of the boards 41-28, including 10-5 on the offensive glass.
Duquesne, which is off to an 0-2 start, got 16 points, a career-high, from Libby Blazelak, while Laia Sole scored 14, though only three occurred after the half.
Meanwhile, Saint Joseph’s freshman Claire Melia from Ireland had a game-high 23 points over the Lions, who dropped to 0-2.
Lula Roig of Spain scored 13 points and freshman Gabby Smalls came off the bench to grab a game-high nine rebounds.
The Guru missed the game, the only local on the Guru’s slate, due to attending the annual Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Columbia led 32-30 at the half before the Hawks torched the baskets the rest of the way shooting 60 percent (25-for-35) and took off on a 13-0 run at the outset of the final period and outscoring Columbia 41-25 in the second half.
“It feels fantastic,” veteran Hawks coach Cindy Griffin said at the start of her 19th season at her alma mater. “Our kids were very calm, confident and composed. I can’t say enough about our three guards, the upperclassmen, Luka, KJ (Katie Jekot), and Mary (Sheehan). “
In terms of inside play, Griffin said, “We knew we had the advantage that way. We got them in a little bit of foul trouble and got them on their heels a little bit. It was nice to see.
“They’re a very well-coached but we were able to keep putting the pedal on the acceleration.”
Freshman guard Abbey Hsu had 22 for Columbia, who are coached by Megan Griffith, a native of King of Prussia, who played for the Lions and had previously been on the staff of former Princeton coach Courtney Banghart.
Maine 59, Delaware 56 – In the only other game Friday on the local slate, an afternoon contest at the Blue Hens’ Bob Carpenter Center for their season opener, a second-half dominance was also the story, in this case by the visiting Black Bears, the defending champions of the America East Conference.
Delaware’s Jasmine Dickey, a sophomore, had a team-high 16 points and 13 rebounds. Kayla Shaw added 11 points.
Maine’s Blanca Millan had a game-high 37 points, shooting 11-for-19 from the field.
The Hens were picked fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association.
Nationally Noted: Upsets Hit No. 15 Texas and Cal
The two games of reference, not they were super shockers, are South Florida’s home win in Tampa over the Longhorns, 64-57, and Harvard of the Ivy League beating the Pac-12’s Cal, 56-53, in Boston.
South Florida is considered the top team in The American not named UConn, though the Floridians were very injury riddled last season.
But now the Bulls are healthy again.
Enna Pehadzic rode three three-balls to fuel her 16 points while Bethy Mununga added 12 points, a career high for the home team which is off to a 2-0 start after ruining the Longhorns’ season opener.
Texas, which fell behind late in the game for good, got 17 points from Lashann Higgs while Joyner Holmes added 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Meanwhile Harvard (2-0) ruined the season opener and Cal coach Charmin Smith’s debut on the sideline making it a two-season sweep for the Crimson, though the Bears were more experienced 12 months ago.
Harvard topped Cal, 37-24, in the second half and took the lead for good after a free throw by Tess Sussman broke a 49-49 deadlock with 1:15 left in the game,completing a comeback from a 10-point halftime deficit.
Tess Sussman (13 points) was one of four players in double-figures for Harvard, who were led by 14 points from freshman Lola Mullaney and a double-double (10 points, 12 rebounds) by Mackenzie Barta.
Freshman Evelien Lutje Schipholt led Cal with 13 points in her collegiate debut.
Cal moves on to help Connecticut open it season Sunday at home on campus in Storrs in Gampel Pavilion.
Looking Ahead: Penn and Drexel Launch Play
Completing first-time season action in opening week as part of Saturday’s schedule, Penn will hang its regular season Ivy co-champs banner in The Palestra and host Siena of the MAAC at noon.
Then up 33rd Street two hours later at 2 p.m. Drexel will host Davidson of the A-10 in a Preseason WNIT game in the Dragons’ Daskalakis Athletic Center.
Villanova will look to bounce back from Wednesday’s season opening loss when the ‘Cats host CAA favorite James Madison at 7 p.m.
La Salle will face Robert Morris at noon while Rutgers will host Coppin State at 2 p.m., both teams playing home openers after getting season opening road wins earlier in the week.
On Sunday, Princeton off its home opening win over neighborhood rival Rider travels to George Washington, which is coming off a road opener win at Villanova.
Rider will try to bounce back traveling to Penn State which rallied for a road win at Towson.
On Sunday at 3 p.m. a national Top 10 game has Dawn Staley’s No. 8 South Carolina group traveling to No. 4 Maryland in College Park.
Other weekend national action has Virginia on Saturday at Southern Cal where visiting Cavaliers coach Tina Thompson will have her number retired by her Alma Mater.
And that’s the report.
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