The Guru Report: Temple and La Salle Drop Home Games While No. 3 Iowa Edges No. 8 Virginia Tech in Top 10 Battle

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

PHILADELPHIA - Just a few days after a high-powered season and home-opening rout of Delaware State, the second of a three-game stand this week did not go as well for Temple, the Owls quickly falling behind and losing 68-45 to Georgetown of the Big East Thursday night at the Liacouras Center while a few hours earlier La Salle lost it’s season home debut to America East contender Maine 58-48 at the Explorers’ Tom Gola Arena.

Neither home team will have much time to dwell on their setbacks, returning to their respective venues Saturday, La Salle hosting American University in a women’s/men’s homecoming doubleheader at noon while the Owls will face Bucknell at 7 p.m.

Nationally, while Connecticut seems poised to climb one place to the top of the next Associated Press women’s poll on Monday by winning at NC State Sunday afternoon, No. 3 Iowa staked it’s claim to be considered by beating No. 8 Virginia Tech 80-76 in front of a crowd of 15,196 at the NBA Charlotte Hornets’ Spectrum Center home in North Carolina as reigning player of the year Caitlin Clark scored 44 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and dealt six assists, finishing just two off her career best, which came against Big Ten rival Michigan two seasons ago.

Both teams were in the Women’s Final Four in Dallas, last April, Virginia Tech losing in the semifinals to LSU, two days before the Hawkeyes, who had stunned Dawn Staley’s top ranked South Carolina squad, fell to LSU in the championship.

But on Monday the reigning champs, an overwhelming pick as No. 1 in the preseason vote, got ambushed in Las Vegas by No. 20 Colorado, likely opening up the best of the penthouse neighborhood in the rankings.

A little further down the poll Thursday night another eye-opening upset occurred in the first week of the new women’s season, No. 18 Florida State, which plays at Drexel here next month, edged No. 11 Tennessee 92-91 at home in Tallahassee. 

 

The Seminoles got their first win over a Top 25 team since December 2019 as O’Mariah Gordon scored 22 points, Ta’Niya Latson, winner of the USBWA Tamika Catchings Award as the nation’s top freshman last April, scored 20 points.

Yet another upset occurred when No. 12 Ole Miss, which soon will host Temple, lost at home 80-70 to unranked Oklahoma.

No. 24 Washington State barely avoided joining the victims list, edging West Coast Conference favorite and one of the top mid-majors Gonzaga 77-72 in overtime at home in Pullman.

Two other locals who played Thursday fared better as Rutgers at home in its Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, N.J. routed Northeast Conference hopeful Wagner 86-43 to move to 2-0, while Delaware took it’s season opener at home in the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark, beating Longwood 81-55.

On Friday night, Villanova in the first of a two-stop weekend trip to the Northwest, opens its season at Portland at 9 p.m., on ESPN+, Penn State will look to go 2-0 hosting Navy at 5 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, and Drexel will seek to get to 1-1 as the Dragons play a second straight MEAC squad visiting Delaware State at 5:30 p.m., Ari Bluestein doing the radio broadcast on Drexel’s website.

Back to what occurred here locally Thursday, Temple played a Georgetown team on a mission, the Hoyas recently lost newly hired coach Tasha Butts in her battle with cancer.

“I get emotional, because she was a good friend of mine,” said Temple second-year coach Diane Richardson in the postgame press conference.

As how it went for her Owls, Richardson observed, “I’m disappointed in the way we played.

“Obviously Georgetown played a very, very tough game and they came in here wanting it. They stepped up their game and we didn’t respond.we’ve got some things to work on, obviously, and we’re going to do that.”

After setting offensive records Monday night, the outcome saw Temple collect its least points since Richardson took over, including her inaugural run when a large chunk of it was operated with just eight players,

Georgetown, the 10th choice of the 11–team Big East by the conference coaches, is now 2-0.

The Hoyas jumped to a 24-8 lead, all eight for Temple courtesy of redshirt senior Rayne Tucker, who said complacency was not the issue after the joy of Monday.

“I think we just came out and couldn’t make shots early on and our energy was kind of based off that.” 

Meanwhile, Georgetown continued relentless in the second period rolling to a 39-17 lead at the half.

The Hoyas’ Kelsey Ransom scored 16, grabbed eight rebounds and dealt five assists. Graceann Bennett and Mya Bembry each scored 12 points, Bennett making all six of her sots from the field.

Temple’s Tarriyona East also also scored 12 points but the Owls’ leader Aleah Nelson scored only five off 2-for-10 from the floor.

“It’s early in the season, so as a coach l’m gauging what they can and can’t do and how resilient they are,” Richardson said.

“Seeing today, I see that some people are more resilient than others, but it’s giving me an idea of what we can do in the future.”

Temple did have some happy news during the day, recently retired communications director Larry Dougherty was announced part of the new Big Five Hall of Fame class t be inducted Dec. 2 at the new Big Five men’s tournament tripleheader at the Wells Fargo Center.

Up at La Salle, inexperience is a large part of the Explorers’ early struggles under Mountain MacGillivray.

“Obviously, that was not a great performance,” he said of the loss to the Black Bears and dropping to 1-1. “We made some good things happen, but you’ve got to make shots and you’ve got to rebound the ball.

“But the beauty with a young team, it’s just another opportunity to get better and grow,” he said. “We’re going to watch the film, we are going to learn from this, going to break it down in practice and keep moving forward with it.”

Further explaining what went wrong, the La Salle coach said, “Our issue is not the pace — we didn’t play fast enough tonight. The issue was us understanding our spacing, which will be an issue early with a young team.”

Adrianna Smith, the reigning America East player of the year, had 12 points and 15 rebounds, behind the visiting Black Bears’ Anne Simon, who scored 20 points, evening the record to 1-1 after the opening loss to Quinnipiac.

A bright spot for the Explorers’ Aryss Mactoon, who scored 13, the only La Salle player in double figures after scoring 17 in the opening win at Coppin State in Baltimore.

In Rutgers’ win, the Big Ten Scarlet Knights got 20 points and a personal best 11 rebounds, while Destiny Adams also had a double double with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Chyna Cornwell scored 15 points  with eight rebounds.

On Sunday, Rutgers stays at home to host Auburn of the Southeastern Conference at 5 p.m.

Delaware saw five Blue Hens deliver in double figures, Chloe Wilson collected 18 points, Ande’a Cherisier and Darrionna Howard each scored 13 points, Tara Cousins had 12, and Sydney Boone scored 11, dropping Longwood to 0-2. Wilson and Howard each with 12 rebounds completrd double-doubled while Klarke Sconiers just missed with nine points and 10 caroms.

Next up, Lehigh of the Patriot League from Bethlehem, Pa., visits Tuesday at 7 p.m.

The National Scene: After the Iowa game ended, opposing Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks offered praise of the Hawkeyes’ Clark when asked how to contain her.

“I love my girls, but sometimes you’re playing checkers and she’s playing chess,” Brooks said. “She is a generational player, and we are going to watch this young lady play for a very long time and she is going to play at a very high level.”

Hokies guarding her kept landing in foul trouble.

“They decided to call the game really close on both ends of the floor, so why not drive and make the ref cal the foul?” said Clark.

Added Brooks, “We were in foul trouble from the start. It really threw us off in our game plan and we got stagnant a bit.”

Hannah Stuelke added 12 points to the Iowa total while Sydney Affolter grabbed 14 rebounds as Iowa increased to 2-0.

Virginia Tech’s Georgia Amoore nailed seven treys on the way to 21 points for the Hokies, while Elizabeth Kitley, the reigning two-time player of the year, had 16 points and 16 rebounds.

Iowa heads to Northern Iowa Sunday while Virginia Tech (1-1) will host Houston Baptist next Thursday.

Meanwhile Florida State was strong from the outside against Tennessee, shooting 13 3-pointers, the last of which tied the score 91-91.

After Lady Vol Rickea Jackson missed a putback on the next possession, she fouled Alexis Tucker, who then put the Seminoles in front shooting 1-2 from the line with 24.9 seconds left in regulation.

The Vols then went length of court but Jackson’s shot went off the rim and the game ended before she could try a putback.

Bonner added 16 points off four from deep for Florida State, Tucker scored 17, and Makayla Thompson score 10.

Jackson had 31 points and 17 rebounds, while Wake Forest transfer Jewel Spear scored 18 for Tennessee (1-1).

Florida State plays an in-state game Sunday greeting Florida while Tennessee goes in-state Monday hosting Memphis.

In its upset at Ole Miss, Skylar Vann had 24 points for Oklahoma, freshman Sahara Williams had 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Lexy Keys scored 11. 

Ole Miss, who hosts Temple next, got double digit efforts from five players, led by Snudda Collins with 15 points off the bench, and a starter, North Carolina transfer Kennedy Todd-Williams, scored 13 points.

In a preseason WNIT game, No. 5 Utah, which visits Saint Joseph’s next month, at home routed South Carolina State 108-48 in Salt Lake City as Issy Palmer scored 21 points off seven from deep for all her points, and Gianna Kneepkins scored 16.

The Utes set a program record 21 made 3-pounters, coach Lynne Roberts saying, “if that’s the shots we’re given, we’re going to take them.”

Southern Cal transfer Alissa Pili, who came to Utah last season, had 18 points and 10 of her team’s 63-23 advantage on rebounds.

Down in Baton Rouge, reigning champion LSU, for the moment still No. 1 after the loss to Colorado, took the upset out on Queens 112-55 as Angel Reese 28 points and 14 rebounds against the North Carolina school.

 Reese noting a response was mandatory, observed, “I think we responded.”

Up in the Northwest, Charlisse Leger-Walker had 26 points, scoring the lead shot in overtime, as Washington State turned aside Gonzaga’s upset hopes.

The Zags’ Kaylynne Truong’s 25-foot shot as regulation time ended forced the extra period.

Two other ranked teams played, No. 9 Indiana easily beating Eastern Illinois at home, 96-43, while No. 4 UCLA did likewise in the Bruins’ Pauley Pavilion 90-52 to UC Riverside.

Looking ahead: No. 21 Southern Cal, off Monday’s upset of No. 7 Ohio State, looks to further its bid for a huge leap in Monday’s poll when the Trojans host Florida Gulf Coast at 10 p.m. Friday night.

On Saturday, Penn opens its season at noon in The Palestra hosting Marist, Saint Joseph’s visits Yale at noon, Lafayette visits ETSU at noon, all games on ESPN+, while Lehigh at 2 p.m. visits Stonehill in Easton, Mass.

Princeton visits Middle Tennessee at 2 p.m., Sunday (ESPN+); Villanova wraps its West Coast jaunt at 4 p.m. at Oregon State on the PAC-12 network; and after the UConn-NC State game at 3 p.m. on ABC, the network doubleheader offers No. 14 Maryland visiting No. 6 South Carolina.

And that’s the report.