By: Cole Nowak
PHILADELPHIA- The magic number was five. It took a bit over five minutes for Mia Davis to get the five points she coveted in order to become the all-time leading scorer in Temple women’s basketball history. The 6’0’’ graduate student broke the previous record set in 1984 by Marilyn Stephens. Davis received the ball in the post on a dish from freshman guard Jasha Clinton, and executed a crafty spin move and the rest was history.
It came on a night where Temple (11-9 overall, 6-3 AAC) was all over Wichita State (11-10 overall, 2-6 AAC).
“I actually came into the game with an open-mind, I wasn’t actually thinking about this. I came in loose; it can be a lot of pressure to have on you and I just wanted to come in and not think about it in order to get a win,” said Davis.
“Of course, it meant a lot for the Owl fans to be in the building, as well as my family. It meant everything for them to see me completely accomplish this goal,” added Davis.
Davis finished the night with 18 points, four rebounds, and two assists to lead the Owls past the Shockers in an AAC matchup. Another standout performance came from Caranda Perea off the bench. She notched 15 points, hitting three 3-pointers providing a jolt off the bench for the Owls.
The lone bright spots for the Shockers were provided by Jane Asinde who led the way with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Nhug Bosch Duran chipped in 12 points. It would not be enough, as the Shockers suffered a 21-point defeat at the hands of the Owls, 70-49.
Mia Davis scores historic basket to become Temple Women's Basketball All-Time Leading Scorer - Video by Cole Nowak
However, this night was about one thing and one thing only, Mia Davis.
“She’s so deserving, she is one of the most unselfish kids. She could have easily not come back for her 5th year or like some others go somewhere else. But it’s just showing the type of person and her character. I am so happy she was able to get that feat, along with the 1k rebounds,” said Temple head coach Tonya Cardoza.
Temple Edges Out East Carolina...
The Owls came into its Feb. 6 matchup against ECU looking to stack a couple wins together. Temple was able to hold on to a narrow 60-59 victory over ECU (8-14 overall, 1-8 AAC).
The Owls jumped out to a hot start, taking a 14-point lead heading into the half. The Owls were unable to further build on their lead in the second half, allowing the Pirates to shave off four points in the third quarter. Temple would hang on for dear life as ECU continued to mount a comeback in the fourth, but ultimately come up a point short.
Davis was the Owls leading scorer dropping 22 points, while grabbing 8 rebounds. Aniya Gourdine contributed a double-double, scoring 13 points and added 10 assists. Taniyah Thompson was a bucket for ECU, notching 29 points on the afternoon.
“I am always looking for my teammates first. Sometimes the coaches will say to look for my offense more, but I continue to look for my teammates. I really just like to see them do good,” said Gourdine about her playmaking abilities.
Bulls too much for the Owls…
The Owls looked to stay in the winner’s circle but dropped what would have been a third consecutive victory against South Florida (17-6 overall, and 7-2 AAC) on Wednesday, Feb. 9.
The Bulls limited the Owls scoring to only four points in both the second and final quarters, en route to a 49-40 victory. Davis once again led the Owls with 14 points, seven rebounds, while freshman Kyra Wood notched 11 rebounds in the loss.
Temple vs. USF Highlights by Cole Nowak:
Temple Bounces Back Against Tulsa for Another Historic Victory…
On Saturday afternoon, the Owls managed to get back on the winning path all due to the stellar play by Aniya Gourdine. The 5’9’’ freshman guard recorded a triple-double, 11 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in the Owls 63-58 road victory against Tulsa.
Davis led Temple with 21 points, while Tulsa’s Wyvette Mayberry mirrored Davis’s 21 for the Golden Hurricane.
The victory marked Temple head coach Tonya Cardoza’s 250th career win.
The Owls, now 12-10 overall, currently sit in fourth place in the American Athletic Conference with a 7-4 record. Temple returns to McGonigle on Saturday to face AAC’s top ranked UCF (18-3, 10-1 AAC) at 2 p.m.