Temple Owls
Atlantic 10 (21-9, 13-1)
Temple’s offense has been very efficient this season. They may not score a lot of points, but they will work the ball around and find an open shooter. Coach Tonya Cardoza’s team got off to a very slow start, but the non-conference schedule was extremely tough. Once the Owls got into Atlantic 10 play, they performed extremely well.
Big Wins: 12/20 UCLA (59-53), 1/7 at Richmond (61-57), 1/15 at Dayton (61-57)
Bad Losses: 11/18 at Ohio State (66-70), 11/20 at Northern Illinois (52-58), 12/22 Villanova (47-56)
Coach: Tonya Cardoza (5 seasons at Temple)
Why They Can Surprise:
Temple’s efficient offense begins with point guard B.J. Williams. She has done a superb job of finding her open teammates and keeping the turnovers to a minimum. This is a team that rarely turns the ball over and Williams deserves much of the credit. The Owls have a great turnover margin in large part due to Williams taking care of the ball and Shey Peddy nabbing a ton of steals. Peddy also spearheads the offensive effort and is the most prolific scorer for Temple. She is a great long range shooter, but will also attack the basket. Peddy is even a fine passer and rebounder and she is truly a stat sheet stuffer. Kristen McCarthy is a big guard who compliments Peddy very well on the offensive and defensive end of the floor. Those two will do a lot of scoring. McCarthy is not much of a shooter, but she will score in bunches around the basket.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Temple’s attempts to force turnovers will often lead to easy buckets for the opposition. The Owls will not let their opponents get off too many shots, but when they did they are usually quality shots. With the guards flying around looking for steals, it puts a lot of pressure on the frontcourt to stop players from scoring easily. Victoria Macaulay, Brittany Lewis and Joelle Connelly are all experienced post players who have done a good job defensively, but they will be tested when the Owls run into a team that can keep the turnovers down. Macaulay, a 6-4 junior, is a good scorer in the paint and she will open up space for the shooters and slashers on the wing. Connelly is 6-3 and gives Temple plenty of size. Connelly will not do much scoring, but her size is her biggest asset. Lewis, at 6-2, is a little smaller, but she is the frontcourt player that can step outside and stretch out the defense with her shooting ability.
Probable Starters:
B.J. Williams, Senior, Guard, 7.3 ppg, 4.9 apg
Shey Peddy, Senior, Guard, 17.2 ppg, 3.2 apg, 4.8 rpg, 3.2 spg
Kristen McCarthy, Senior, Guard, 12.9 ppg, 2.2 apg, 6.3 rpg
Victoria Macaulay, Junior, Center, 9.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.9 bpg
Joelle Connelly, Senior, Center, 3.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Rateska Brown, Freshman, Guard, 3.6 ppg
Brittany Lewis, Junior, Forward, 8.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg
Tyonna Williams, Freshman, Guard, 3.3 ppg, 1.0 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 65.5 (106th in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 55.5 (44, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 42.1 (44, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 39.5 (206, 9)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 4.7 (163, 6)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 31.1 (126, 5)
Free-Throw Percentage: 68.0 (195, 8)
Rebound Margin: 4.4 (57, 3)
Assists Per Game: 14.4 (54, 5)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.4 (24, 4)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
Temple 2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Arizona State
Temple 2011 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Notre Dame
Temple 2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over James Madison
Temple 2010 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Connecticut
Temple 2009 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Florida
Temple 2008 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Arizona State
Temple 2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Nebraska
Temple 2007 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Duke
*all team stats through 3/1
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
