The Guru’s NCAAW Local/National Roundup: Temple Rallies to Beat George Mason in OT to Complete a Local 5-0 Sweep While Baylor Upsets Duke in Paris

 By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

PHILADELPHIA – Temple coach Dianne Richardson knows the realities of life in the mid-majors in places such as her team’s membership in the American Conference as noted by ESPN men’s basketball tournament bracket honcho Joe Lunardi at the Owl men’s and women’s basketball preview last week talking about mid-major teams collectively all having a one percent chance to land an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament.

“You have to win our conference and I am tired of losing in the semifinals of the (American) tournament,” she said Monday night here at the Liacouras Center after her group rallied twice and picked up an impressive 94-85 overtime victory over defending Atlantic Ten tournament champion George Mason, completing a 5-0 sweep by the locals who played on opening day and night of the collegiate basketball season.

The four others, all at home, cruised in their games, Villanova winning 70-38 over Lafayette at the Wildcats’ Finneran Pavilion; the Big Ten duo of Penn State, playing a majority of the Nittany Lion home games this season back in Rec Hall, beating Bucknell, 83-55, while Rutgers in the Scarlet Knights’ Jersey Mikes Arena handled Wagner, 79-50; and Delaware, making its debut in the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark as a new member of Conference USA, toppled Bloomsburg 83-59.

Nationally, all the ranked teams won easily except one upset with two Associated Press Top 25 women meeting each other as No. 16 Baylor beat No. 7 Duke 58-52 in the first game of the now annual twin bill AFLAC Oui-Play in Paris, France, that was followed by No. 19 Vanderbilt trailing early but then winning 74-65 over California.

To rectify Temple’s need to get over the hump Richardson did two things since eliminated by Rice for the second time in two years after reaching 20 wins – send her staff recruiting to shore up deficiencies existing in rebounding and depth, and load the front part of the schedule “with tough games”, not necessarily all Power 4 giants but certainly quality enough that if successful and then go on to be in the hunt for the American regular season title will certainly earn a spot in the ongoing mock bracket placements across the season.

On Monday, the Owls, admitting to opening day jitters, not uncommon at many places, fell behind seven points to the Patriots and further by 11 early in the second quarter before calming down and making some 3-pointers and getting on the boards to cut the deficit to four in the closing minutes of the half before GMU went back up by seven.

Reserve Drew Alexander, however, answered for the Owls scoring back-to-back and at the break it was competitive, the Patriots up by a slim 39-38 lead.

Turnovers, which plagued Temple in key games last season, were a problem again in the first two quarters.

But the offense then solidified with less miscues.

Tristen Taylor, who collected 19 points, was the top scorer among six Owls in double figures.

“I was just anxious to play, but then I just slowed down in the second half and played my game, Taylor said.

Over the next two quarters, Temple was in control in the closely fought battle, but down the stretch a few missed foul shots enabled George Mason to close the gap and tie it in the last minute, with newcomer Owls Saniyah Craig a force in the game on the boards, scoring on an offense board but just too late after the shot clock to be the game-winner.

But Craig continued to dominate grabbing missed Patriots shots while Jalessa Molina would not let this opener get away as ones to Princeton and Richmond did in openers two of the last three years since Richardson’s arrival by scoring seven of Temple’s 20 points in the extra period.

“I mean they brought me here for one reason,” Craig said with a smile. “That’s to rebound and help the team win and that’s what I did.”

“One reason?” Richardson quipped at Craig’s remark.

“I saw resilience from them,” Richardson said of Temple’s continuing to battle. “I saw the jitters in the first quarter, so to speak, and kind of like, ‘Okay, we’re here now.’ In the locker room before we went out, I said, ‘You all have the right to be here, then go out and earn the right to be remembered.’ And I think they did that today.”

Richardson was also pleased that she could go to the bench for help avoiding being stymied by starters getting tired as the intensity of the game persisted.

Craig finished with 16 points and 15 boards while Molina had 12 points and 10 assists.

Kaylah Turner scored 12, while Alexander scored 13 fueled by three makes from deep, and Kelian Cedano scored 10.

All of it helped overcome a monster performance from GMU’s Zahirah Walton, who had a game-high 31 points with 12 boards, while Jada Brown scored 10 and Page Greenburg had 11 points.

Temple next hosts George Washington, a former annual rival when the Owls were also in the Atlantic 10, Friday and then it will be off to West Virginia of the Big 12, hosting La Salle 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 14, the first of two Big 5 pod games; before visiting A-10 favorite and nationally ranked Richmond followed by visiting Villanova in the second Big 5 pod game.

The Owls last season beat the Cats for the the Big Five Classic title at Villanova in the championship that matches the winners of both pods after teams in third meet for fifth place followed by teams in second play for third.

This year’s triple-header at Villanova is on a Sunday, instead of Friday, following the men’s Saturday triple header at Xfinity Mobile Arena, which should help marketing the event.

“Sunday has always been big for us drawing fans so that’s a great move,” said Saint Joseph’s coach Cindy Griffin at the Atlantic 10 annual media day, which was held Sept. 30 in Pittsburgh, the site of the men’s conference tourney.

In Villanova’s win over Lafayette, freshmen led a balanced attack, Kennedy Henry scoring 13 points and reserve Brooke Bender with 12. Sophomore Jasmine Bascoe scored 10 with six boards, while Kelsey Joens, a transfer from Iowa State, scored 11.

Lafayette’s Sauda Ntaconayigize scored 15 and Teresa Kiewiet scored 12.

The Wildcats go deeper into the water in the next two games hosting two-time MAAC champion Fairfield Wednesday followed by a trip to Toronto, Canada, Sunday, to play VCU which will serve as a homecoming for Bascoe.

In Happy Valley, Penn State got 27 points from Rutgers transfer Kiyomi McMiller with six boards and six assists; and Gracie Merkle scored 24 points.

Bucknell’s Reese Zemitis scored 14 while Isabella Casey scored 12 and Tuana Coskun grabbed 14 boards with nine points.

Rutgers got 17 points and eight rebounds from Imani Lester, 13 from Kaylah Ivey and eight assists, Zachara Perkins scored 11 with nine boards, and Nene Ndiaye scored 10.

Penn State hosts Cincinnati Friday and Rutgers hosts MAAC runnerup Quinnipiac Thursday.

Delaware got 15 points off the bench from Trinity Vance and reserve Kailah Correa scored 11 while among the starters Lay Fantroy scored 14 with eight boards and Kendall Scott scored 11.

The Blue Hens next host Patriot league favorite Navy Friday.

Hawks DNA

Saint Joseph’s opener is Tuesday at 7 st Hagan Arena hosting West Chester but Hawks sprinkles showed in two results Monday – former star and associate head coach Katie Kuester made her Army head coaching debut and the Black Knights, picked second behind Navy, a Patriot League first with the two military academies picked 1-2, beat Pace 86-50 at home in West Point, N.Y., as Taylor Wilson scored 20, Reese Ericson scored 18 and Brooke Wilson grabbed 10 boards.

Up in Boston, technically Chestnut Hill, Plymouth Meeting’s Katie Flanagan fed Simone Foreman with one second left and Holy Cross upset Boston College 72-71, the winning Crusaders roster over the Eagles of the Atlantic Coast Conference containing Hannah Griffin, one of two daughters of veteran Saint Joseph’s Griffin, who begins her 25th season coaching her alma mater.

Griffin’s older daughter Kaylie returns on Hawk Hill as a graduate player out of Gwynedd Mercy Academy.

Two others of the Guru’s 13 locals get under way Tuesday night: Drexel is across the state visiting Pittsburgh, while Lehigh is at Cincinnati.

On Thursday La Salle opens at Loyola, Md., in Baltimore, before coming home Saturday to host Saint Francis, Pa. while also Thursday, Rider, whose coach Jackie Hartzell, formerly at DII University Sciences of Philadelphia and Arcadia, makes her D-1 debut hosting Lafayette.

Penn at the Palestra Friday hosts King’s at 4 p.m. Drexel continues on the road at Marist before coming home next Wednesday to host Penn in a combo neighborhood/Big 5 pod game.

Lehigh’s home opener is against La Salle next Tuesday while Lafayette’s home opener is a week from Thursday hosting St. Peter’s.

The National Scene

In the Baylor win over Duke, whose Blue Devils coach is former Tennessee star and USA Olympic coach Kara Lawson, the Bears got 12 of Taliah Scott’s 24 points in the fourth quarter after the score was tied 43-43 heading into the final period.

Duke’s sophomore star Toby Fournier scored 16 points for the defending ACC champions, who host Holy Cross Sunday while Baylor hosts Lindenwood.

In the second game, leading No. 19 Vanderbilt over California, sophomore Mikayla Blakes of Somerville, N.J., scored 27 for the Commodores while Aiyana Mitchell had 12 points and 10 boards in a game that was close until the winners broke it open with a 24-9 third quarter highlighted by a 19-0 run.

Freshmen Taylor Barnes and Aliyahna Morris for Cal scored 17 and 10 points, respectfully, while Sakima Walker, a transfer from South Carolina, had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Elsewhere, host No. 10 Maryland crushed Loyola of Maryland 80-26, the winning Terrapins getting 18 points from Duke transfer Oluchi Okananwa and 11 from Saylor Poffenbarger, who played at UConn and recently Arkansas.

No. 2 South Carolina coach and Hall of Farmer Dawn Staley gave new Grand Canyon head coach Winston Gandy, a former assistant, a warm pre-game hug and then her Gamecocks blasted the Mountain West school 94-54 as Florida State transfer Ta’Niya Latson, the nation’s scoring leader with the Seminoles, collected 20 for the NCAA runners up, who recently lost SEC tournament MVP Chloe Kitts to a season-ending injury, Ashley Watkins left school continuing her injury rehab, and MiLaysia Fulwiley left after two seasons to SEC rival LSU.

No. 11 North Carolina opening on the road whipped N.C. Central 90-42 as freshman reserve Nyla Brooks scored 15 and Ciera Toomey and Nyla Harris each had a double double.

In other results among ranked teams, all by double digits, No. 12 Ole Miss at home beat MEAC contender Norfolk State 87-46, likewise No. 4 Iowa State pummeled St. Thomas (MN) 85-36, No. 6 Oklahoma got 29 points and 10 boards from Raegan Beers in an 84-67 win over visiting Belmont breaking from a small 58-54 lead heading into the fourth quarter and then dominating 26-13 over the final ten minutes.

Four other ranked teams at home winning big, included No. 24 Kentucky 75-59 over Morehead State, No. 21 Iowa beating Southern U., a SWAC contender, 86-51, as Ava Heiden scored 21 with 14 boards and Hannah Stuelke scoring 20 points with nine boards for the Hawkeyes as former associate head coach Jan Jensen began her second season, the team also now two years removed from the Caitlin Clark era in Iowa City.

No. 22 Oklahoma State blasted New Orleans 109-48 and No. 4 Texas romped 123-51 over Incarnate Word 123-51 as sophomore Jordan Lee had a career-best 21 for the Longhorns.

No. 3 UCLA took its opening win on the road, beating San Diego State 77-53, senior Lauren Betts, a leading national player of the year contender and potential No. 1 pick next April in the WNBA draft, scoring 21 points, shooting 9-12 from the field for the Bruins.

In the first of two challenge series between the Mid-American and Sun Belt Conferences, the second to occur in February with matchups to be determined, the Sun Belt schools all at home went 8-5, highlighted by preseason favorite James Madison beating Kent State 80-48, Marshall, the former school of second-year Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell, winning 53-39 over Buffalo, Troy over Toledo 88-81, while on the road former A-10 member UMass made its MAC debut beating Old Dominion 58-52, and Ball State edging host Arkansas State 68-66.

Also noteworthy in other non-conference openers, American favorite South Florida won 81-56 over FIU of CUSA, the Bull’s first game following the departure of longtime South Florida coach Jose Fernandez to coach the Dallas Wings in the WNBA, which has reigning rookie of the year and former UConn sensation Paige Bueckers and Villanova all-time scorer Maddy Siegrist, who last weekend became Maddy Perretta marrying the eldest son Steven of longtime Wildcats coach Harry Perretta.

This season, Steven in his second season as an assistant to Drexel’s Amy Mallon is being joined by his brother Michael.

Looking Ahead

On Tuesday, the overall schedule is less busy, nationally, but also noteworthy as No. 1 UConn opens defense of its 12th NCAA championship playing No. 20 Louisville at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., in the Peraton Armed Forces Classic, a game originally set to play in Germany but kept stateside, call the move collateral damage resulting from the federal government shutdown. The game is 5:30 p.m. on ESPN.

No. 8 Tennessee at 4 p.m. opens against No. 9 N.C. State in the Battle of the Boro in Greensboro, N.C., airing on ESPN2.

Atlantic 10 favorite Richmond, with its first AP ranking at No. 24 in a tie, opens at home hosting Mount St. Mary’s at 6 p.m. on ESPN+.

No. 18 Southern Cal, beginning its season without reigning national player of the year JuJu Watkins, who suffered an ACL injury in the NCAA tournament, hosts New Mexico State at 10 p.m. on the subscription B1G+.

And that’s how it went on the first of 128 days before the calendar reaches March Madness.