Guru’s WBB Report: La Salle Edges Drexel While Temple Fades Against Cincy

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

La Salle ended an 11-season losing streak to local rival Drexel  with a 58-55 triumph at home in the Tom Gola Arena Wednesday night while a few hours earlier Temple faded in the closing minutes to Cincinnati 71-65 at home in McGonigle Hall to end the Owls’  four-game unbeaten start in the American Athletic Conference.

It was the Explorers’ second straight win in the city, bouncing back Sunday to beat Saint Joseph’s at home after losing two days earlier in a crushing setback at the Hawks’ Hagan Arena in a pair of games with their local Atlantic Ten rivals.

The contest was nothing like the rout Drexel performed a year ago in West Philadelphia at the Dragon’s Daskalakis Athletic Center, this time a closely fought affair from the opening tip to the finish.

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It was just the second loss of the season for first-year coach Amy Mallon’s squad (5-2), the previous early last month at Villanova by two at the finish, facing Drexel’s previous coach Denise Dillon.that 

The outcome might have heen in doubt at the end of regulation but with eight seconds left and a chance to tie, the Dragons missed the first of a two-shot foul, left trailing 56-55.

There almost seemed to be an extended life, however,  when the Explorers missed both free throws at the other end but Claire Jacobs was able to grab  the carom and go to the line for a three-point lead.

Drexel took a desperate three to tie as time expired  that missed the mark.

“We put ourselves in position to win a game even when shots weren’t falling,” Mallon said. “It was a tough road game that will only prepare us more for our back-to-back games in conference play.”

Jacobs had a game-high 17 points, while Deja King was effective from deep, hitting 4-of-5 on the way to all 12 of her points in a game produced the first home win in the series in 12 seasons.

Kate Hill had 10 points and seven assists while Haleigh Hill had a career high 12 rebounds,

Drexel’s Kaishana Washington had 16 points, most in the first half, while Maura Hendrixson scored 11.

The game was the final non-conference ones for both teams.

“It’s a tough one to play mid-week considering both our conference schedules but we were supposed to meet last month and I wanted this game and Amy wanted this game, and our kids definitely wanted this game after what happened to us last year,” said La Salle coach Mountain MacGillivray.

“It’s definitely high energy and helps bring our competitiveness, and helps us get better each and every day,” Haleigh Hill said.

“Somebody said along the way you can learn from losses,” MacGillivray said. “We learn from wins. Losses just hurt. 

“We can go back and look at all the mistakes we made at the end of this game and not look at it from a woe is me standpoint. We can look at it and say we can be even better. 

“There are a whole lot of things from the end of the game that we can learn from, but it will be a lot more fun sitting there after a win than after a loss.”

La Salle heads on the road this weekend in the Atlantic Ten, visiting St. Bonaventure Friday at noon in Olean in upstate New York near Buffalo and then Sunday drops down to Pittsburgh to play Duquesne.

Drexel also hits the road in the Colonial Athletic Association, playing William & Mary Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. each day on Flohoops streaming apps.

Temple Conference Streak Ends: Despite feeling her squad was in a good place after the Owls’ last win, ensuing practices, especially Tuesday, told Temple coach Tonya Cardoza danger lay ahead beyond that Cincinnati was coming to town with Llmar’l Thomas, one of the top players in the American Athletic Conference.

“She’s a difficult matchup, always had been because we have not had the size to guard her,” Cardoza said. “With ‘Lex (Alexa Williamson) not playing, our focus was different. Yesterday’s practice was horrible. We haven’t had bad practices but the way we started yesterday wasn’t good. The energy level was a little bit different. Yesterday was not a good practice without her out there,”

Thomas had 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Bearcats (3-7, 2-4 AAC) but the killer was letting Jillian Hayes get loose for 20, while Destiny Haymer scored 11.

“Our communication was not good,” Cardoza said.

Despite all that the game was close with 16 lead changes.

Rookie Jasha Clinton had 23 points while Mia Davis scored 20 for Temple (4-4, 4-1) and Asonah Alexander dealt nine assists.

Temple’s last lead came on Emani Mayo’s layup 63-62 with 2 minutes, 41 seconds left in regulation before Hayes’ jumper with 1:46 left sent it back to Cincy.

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Thomas followed with a three-point play to extend it to 67-63 with 52 seconds left.

Kash Ayuso canned two free throws 10 seconds later to get Temple within a basket 67-65.

It got to 69-65 with 12 seconds left on another Hayes shot, then Clinton made a critical turnover with 12 seconds left and the Bearcats used a long possession and Thomas shot to end it.

With SMU shut down for the season by the coronavirus, the Owls won’t be making the return visit to play the Mustangs Saturday in Dallas, leaving a week open till Temple travels to Houston to play the Cougars in a 1 p.m. game Wednesday.

The Rest of the World: No. 15 Ohio State eluded a Big Ten upset, winning at Iowa 84-82 in overtime as Madison Greene scored 20 for the Buckeyes while Caitlin Clark scored 27 for the Hawkeyes; No. 19 DePaul  at home in Chicago smoked St. John’s 101-84 in the Big East, and No. 16 South Florida said unbeaten in the AAC with a 72-53 win at Tulane.

On Thursday, No. 10 Oregon is at No. 11 Arizona. 

And that’s the report.