BY JOSH ABRAMS
(Photos: Kathy Leister for PSD)
Olney - An exciting and eventful weekend of basketball at the new John E. Glaser Arena on the campus of La Salle University was capped off on Sunday afternoon, as the female Explorers played host to Temple just one day after the men battled on the same court less than 24 hours earlier.
In a back-and-forth battle that featured nine ties and eight lead changes, it was the Owls who came away with a hard-fought road victory over the Explorers by a score of 73-68. Sophomore guard Kaylah Turner paced a balanced scoring attack for Temple with 17 points off the bench, while senior guard Tarriyonna Gary chipped in with 12 points.
The saying "all good things must come to an end" is a harsh reality that La Salle head coach Mountain MacGillivray and his team had to face to end the weekend, as his squad fell just short of continuing the already-impressive undefeated streak at the new Glaser Arena between both men's and women's teams (4-0 and now 3-1).
"Hats off to Temple today. They made some really big plays and tough shots down the stretch to bring themselves back," expressed the seventh-year Explorer leader. "I'd imagine it was fairly entertaining to watch. We were trailing at the half, we went up in the second half... they came back and made a few more plays at the end than we did and unfortunately that's basketball, we were on the wrong side of it."
Both teams spent the first seven-and-a-half minutes exchanging baskets before layups from Joan Quinn (Cardinal O'Hara) and Anna Przyszlak gave La Salle a four point advantage with under a minute remaining in the first quarter. Temple freshman guard Savannah Curry (Westtown) found the scoring column with just under 30 seconds left to finalize the opening frame at 15-13 in favor of the Explorers.
La Salle guards Ayisse Magassa and Aryss Macktoon scored the first two baskets of the second quarter to give the Explorers their largest lead of the game. Then came the offensive outburst of Turner, who scored Temple's next six points to tie things up at 19-all.
Turner might only stand at 5'6" tall, but the minute the ball is in her hands she shows everyone watching how and why she can be so effective almost immediately.
"Using my speed and getting to my pull up using the basket, and not really focusing on turnovers or mistakes," said the Orange Park, Florida native.
La Salle WBB HC Mountain MacGillivray opening statement after dropping tough one to Temple at home (Video by Josh Abtams)
Second quarter action; both teams exchange baskets as offenses get going in the first half (Video by Josh Abrams)
"Just making sure I keep playing my game, whether if it's on offense or defense," said Turner.
Temple HC Diane Richardson, players Tarriyonna Gary and Kaylah Turner speak to media after 73-68 victory at La Salle (Video by Josh Abrams)
Temple Head Coach Diane Richardson gives postgame thoughts after holding off La Salle on the road (Video by Josh Abrams)
With essentially a brand new ballgame at hand, the Explorers got eight quick points from junior guard Ashleigh Connor, including a pair of three-pointers. But after her second triple put La Salle ahead 27-21, the Owls used a 17-3 run to eventually take an eight-point, 38-30 lead into halftime.
The Explorers responded with their own run - a 17-5 spurt that lasted over the first seven minutes of the third quarter - to take a 47-43 lead. Temple forward Amaya Oliver scored the Owls' next two baskets to tie it up at 47 apiece before Macktoon and Magassa found the bottom of the hoop, giving La Salle a four-point advantage at the end of the third.
If this was viewed as a boxing match, it would be scored about as evenly as possible, with the edge to La Salle since they had a 51-47 lead going into the fourth quarter. The problem for the host squad was the visitors took the third round personally and outscored the Explorers 26-17 in the final 10 minutes of the ballgame. Gary picked the perfect time to come alive offensively for Temple, scoring all 12 of her points and leading the charge for the Owls' comeback, a welcoming sight for the fifth-year senior.
The teams went back to exchanging baskets again, this time down the stretch of the fourth quarter. After Macktoon found the basket for her 14th and final points, Gary connected on a triple with just over two minutes left to put Temple back on top for good, 65-64.
"It was definitely a shot that I needed, cause this whole season has been like an emotional rollercoaster for me cause I haven't been shooting the ball like I would in the past," said the Brooksville, Florida native. "I knew my teammates needed me to come through and make the shot as well."
MacGillivray and guard Ashleigh Connor express optimism for the team despite coming up short against Temple (Video by Josh Abrams)
Temple and La Salle continue to exchange baskets but Owls pick up momentum heading into halftime (Video by Josh Abrams)
3rd quarter action: Macktoon tough bank shot followed by great offensive rebound and putback for Magassa to end the frame (Video by Josh Abrams)
Late fourth quarter highlights: costly turnover for La Salle costs the Explorers down the stretch (Video by Josh Abrams)
The win for Temple improves the Owls record to 4-3 overall. They will use next week to prepare for their biggest game of the young season; a date with Villanova in the Women's Big-5 Classic on Friday night, 8 PM at Nova's Finneran Pavilion. The loss for La Salle drops the Explorers record to 4-4, and they have little time to rest as they will be hitting the road to take on Loyola Chicago in an early Atlantic-10 clash.
Despite falling short and running out of gas at the end, MacGillivray could not have been more optimistic about his team and their rest-of-season outlook.
"I think it's safe to say that we're better than we were last year," said Mountain. "We're just scratching the surface. Everyone in that locker room is disappointed that we lost, we left some plays on the board, we could have won. But everyone also knows that it's coming. This team is growing together. They're sharing the ball better and playing better... there's more to this team that you're not seeing. We have depth (where) once everybody gets comfortable... you're going to see even more bright spots for us."
On the other side, Temple head coach Diane Richardson gave utmost praise to La Salle while also applauding her team for fighting back and winning the way that they did.
"La Salle (and their players) came to play, and they fought hard," expressed the Owls leader in her third season with Temple. "It was a hard-fought game, and we came back and played Temple basketball."
