Author Archives: Joey Cranney

Hooter the Owl featured on ESPN commercial

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They say any exposure is good exposure, but Temple’s mascot makes a fool of him(her?)self in the most recent “This is SportsCenter” commercial.

Our beloved Hooter is seen walking into a clear glass window while three SportsCenter personalities discuss facilities management in a conference room. “Seriously, we’ve got to get this glass frosted,” quips Stuart Scott after the Boston College Eagle mascot follows suit.

It’s been said that the commercial was produced prior to former football coach Steve Addazio’s departure for Boston College. If that’s true, then the commercial is an uncanny example of foreshadowing of Temple’s lack of foresight into Addazio’s impending departure.

You can watch the video here.

-Joey Cranney

Women’s basketball faces Georgetown in nation’s capital

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Exactly one month ago to the day, the women’s basketball team upset a previously unbeaten Syracuse team at McGonigle Hall. Since then the Owls have lost four straight.

Temple’s latest defeat came at the hands of Michigan State on Saturday. They’ll look to end their worst losing streak of the season tonight against Georgetown, in what will be their fifth game of a six-game road swing.

Georgetown enters tonight at 8-4 and is coming off a 90-67 dismantling of Yale. The Hoyas’ most impressive win thus far is a 62-56 knock off of then nationally-ranked Delaware.

Senior guard Sugar Rodgers recently became the all-time scoring leader in program history at Georgetown, becoming the first ever to reach the 2,000-point plateau. Rodgers leads the Hoyas in scoring with 26 points per game and rebounding with 7 boards per game.

Temple senior center Victoria Macaulay is coming off her sixth double-double of the season after scoring 12 points and grabbing ten rebounds in the loss to Michigan State. Sophomore point guard Tyonna Williams has struggled the last two games, shooting a combined 2-for-21 from the field while committing eight turnovers.

Freshman guard Erica Covile, who at one point took over as the starting two-guard, has since seen her playing time steadily diminish. Covile has played just a total of five minutes the last two games. Freshman guard Meghan Roxas has consumed most of the playing time in the midst of Covile’s struggles. Roxas played 20 minutes against the Spartans, going 3-for-6 from three-point range for nine points.

Given their youth, turnovers and inconsistencies have plagued the Owls. As a result, coach Tonya Cardoza has been forced to experiment with different lineups in pursuit of a shooting guard that can start and provide significant minutes night-in and night-out. Temple’s back court will face another obstacle tonight in trying to contain Rodgers.

Temple vs. Georgetown will tip-off tonight at 7 p.m. in Washington D.C.

-Tyler Sablich

Lady Owls look to get back on track at Auburn

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The women’s basketball team has had 10 days to soak in their ugly loss against Kent State on Dec. 6. Today, the Owls will look to get back on track against Auburn, Temple’s second game of a six-game road swing.

The Owls were riding high off of their best win of the season against Syracuse before Kent State upset them 71-62. Kent State was previously 0-7 before the win, with their lowest margin of defeat still coming at 14 points. The difference in the game came at the free throw line, where Temple went 7-for-9 and Kent State went 24-for-29.

Temple will face a tougher task today in Auburn (7-2). The Lady Tigers have three players averaging double figures. Sophomore guard Hasina Muhammad leads the team in scoring with 16.4 points per game. Junior guard Tyrese Tanner averages 12.4 and senior forward Blanche Alverson, a three-point specialist, averages 11.8. Auburn is 3-0 at home this season.

Senior center Victoria Macaulay is coming off a 25-point, 13-rebound performance against Kent State, recording her fifth double-double in a losing effort.

The Owls, 5-3, will look to get back on track today at 3 p.m. against Auburn.

–Tyler Sablich

Rebounds make for early success

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Part of the the women’s basketball team’s success on the defensive end this season can be traced back to one simple thing: rebounds.

Temple is holding opponents to just .340 shooting in their first eight games and 57.8 points per game. Those are respectable numbers for a team that returned just two starters from last season.

The reason behind this has been rebounds. The Owls average 42.6 boards per game while holding opponents to just 35.3. In all but one game, in a loss to Nebraska early in the season, they have won the rebound battle. On the offensive glass they hold just a four-rebound margin, 110-106.

But on the defensive end is where they’ve had the most success, snagging 231 rebounds against 176 by their opponents. That’s a 55-rebound difference, or 6.9 per game.

Senior center Victoria Macaulay is the driving force behind this, averaging 10.1 rebounds per game, with 7.5 of those coming on the defensive end. But the rest of the team has chipped in as well. Five other Owls have at least 20 defensive boards, and three of them average at least four rebounds per game.

Crashing the boards, especially on defense, has limited opponents opportunities and kept their offenses in check. It’s a big reason why such a young squad is 5-3 to start the season.

-Jake Adams

Thames, guards remain fluid

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The women’s basketball team (5-3) is 0-1 this season without redshirt-junior forward Natasha Thames in the lineup.

The unheralded frontcourt partner of senior center Victoria Macaulay missed her first game of the season with a mild concussion, in Temple’s 71-62 loss to Kent State on Dec. 6. Freshman forward Meghan Roxas made her first collegiate start of her career.

Roxas scored just four points, shooting 1-for-17 while grabbing four rebounds in 20 minutes of work. She also turned the ball over twice in that time.

Coach Tonya Cardoza also replaced freshman guard Erica Covile with fellow freshman guard May Dayan in the starting lineup. Cardoza previously made a switch to Covile after five games to try and get a more physical presence on the court.

Thames is cleared to play Sunday against Auburn (7-2), but the guard situation remains fluid in the early goings of the season.

-Jake Adams

Addazio accepts position at Boston College

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Steve Addazio has accepted the head coaching position at Boston College, a Temple source confirmed.

Addazio went 13-11 in two seasons at Temple. He went 9-4 in his first season in 2011, including the program’s first bowl win since 1979 in a 37-15 victory at the Gildan New Mexico Bowl.

“Steve Addazio has done a tremendous job with Temple Football in his two years at the University, and we wish him nothing but the best,” Athletic Director Bill Bradshaw said in a press release. “Temple Football has never been stronger, and I am confident we will be able to attract a high-level pool of candidates for the position and the program will continue its upward momentum.”

Addazio will fill the hole at Boston College left by former coach Frank Spaziani, who was fired after the Eagles’ 2-10 finish this year, his fourth season with the team. Spaziani went 21-29 at Boston College.

Addazio informed the team of his departure personally at a team meeting at approximately 5 p.m. Players were seen walking from the meeting on their phones or huddled in groups talking.

Freshmen linebackers Tyler Matakevich and Rob Dvoracek Tweeted “wow” at 5:18 p.m. and 5:35 p.m., respectively. Junior defensive back Abdul Smith Tweeted “At the end of the day these coaches only look out 4 themselves. They sell you on a lie that only benefits them.”

Redshirt-junior quarterback Chris Coyer Tweeted “Well. Here we go again. 3 coaches in 5 years. Whatever just grinding that much harder to get where we wanna go next year”

A national search for Addazio’s replacement will begin immediately, the press release indicated.

Shuffle of guards, less turnovers

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Lost in Wednesday’s win over Bowling Green was coach Tonya Cardoza’s decision to start freshman guard Erica Covile over freshman guard May Dayan.

At least for one game the results speak for themselves.

Covile was 4-for-7 on the night, making her first start of the season from the two position. She finished with eight points, six boards, two blocks and a steal in 29 minutes of action.

Dayan was solid off the bench, going two for four for six points and a rebound. But while she dished out two assists she also turned the ball over three times in 17 minutes.

That’s the biggest difference on the night, and on the season. Dayan has been far more careless with the ball. Covile had zero turnovers despite playing more minutes.

While she single-handedly didn’t make the difference in that department for the Owls, who had a season low 14 giveaways, it is a start.

It’ll be interesting to see if Cardoza sticks with Covile for the time being.

-Jake Adams

Women’s basketball hosts Syracuse

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The women’s basketball team will look to build on their well-balanced effort last time out in Sunday’s game against Syracuse.

The Owls cruised to a 70-56 win against Bowling Green last week to improve to 4-2 on the season. Temple’s 14 turnovers against the Falcons were a season-low after averaging 24 giveaways per game through the first five games.

Coach Tonya Cardoza said, following the loss to Rutgers, that it was imperative her team begin to protect the ball, and it seemed as though the Owls reacted well to those words. Freshman small forward Sally Kabengano had a career night, recording 17 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots. Sophomore point guard Tyonna Williams committed a season-low two turnovers.

The Orange may prove to be Temple’s most daunting task thus far. Syracuse will bring a 7-0 record into Philadelphia. They’re coming off a one-point against Virginia last weekend.

Six-foot-4-inch senior center Kayla Alexander leads the Syracuse attack. She averages 20.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game to go along with 34 blocks. Temple senior center Victoria Macaulay going toe to toe with Alexander may be a key component in how the game turns out.

Temple vs. Syracuse tips off at 2 p.m. Sunday in McGonigle Hall.

-Tyler Sablich

Fencing competes in last tournament of fall

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The fencing team will compete at the Vassar Invitational in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., tomorrow.

Along with host Vassar College, Temple’s fencers will compete against student-athletes from Penn State, the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, Princeton, North Carolina, New York University and Sacred Heart.

Temple will have five competitors in the foil competition: freshman Demi Antipas, junior Epiphany Georges, freshman Fatima Largaespada, senior Mikayla Varadi, and freshman Olivia Wynn.

Georges is the best hope for a medal in this group. She won a silver medal at the Temple Open on Oct. 27, and placed fourth at the Penn State Open on Nov. 3. Varadi got the bronze at the Temple Open. Georges, Varadi, Antipas and Largaespada all made the semifinal in both tournaments so far.

In epee, the Owls will have four athletes: senior Jill Bratton, freshman Jessica Hall, junior Kimberly Howell and junior Chantal Montrose. Howell is the only medalist this year in this group, getting a bronze at the Temple Open. Only Bratton has made the semifinals in both tournaments.

Temple will have six entrants in the sabre competition: sophomore Emily Dodson, junior Tasia Ford, junior Andrea Haley, sophomore Tiki Kastor, freshman Petra Khan, and sophomore Lauren Rangel-Friedman.

Kastor is the most likely medalist from that group, having won the Owls’ only gold medal so far this year, at the Temple Open. She also finished sixth at the Penn State Open. Ford and Rangel-Friedman have made the semifinals in both tournaments, while Kastor joins Georges as the only Temple fencers to make the finals both times.

The meet kicks off at 10 a.m.

-Evan Cross

Ice hockey faces Maryland in MACHA showdown

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After a nearly two-week layoff, the Owls will take on  Maryland tonight in its seventh Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association contest of the season. It will be the only regular season match-up between the conference rivals this season.

To coach Jerry Roberts, Maryland possesses several similar qualities to a familiar foe.

“They’re a lot like [MACHA rival Rider University],” Roberts said. “[Maryland] has depth. They don’t have any big superstars but they do have a lot of players who are capable of beating you. They played Rider twice, one went to OT and one was a one-goal game. Having not seen them yet [this season], that’s what we’re preparing for.”

Temple (12-7) had previously won four consecutive games before a 6-2 loss to NYU its last time out on Nov. 18. The Owls have won four of their previous five after taking a 9-3 beating from Montclair University on Oct. 27.

“The guys feel confident right now,” Roberts said. “We feel good about the progress we made after the Montclair shellacking. Even after the loss to NYU, we were able to pick up lessons after that game and move forward.”

Temple is 5-4 in MACHA play this season, while Maryland is 3-7. The Owls sit in the 10th and final postseason-qualifying spot in the  American Collegiate Hockey Association Southeast Region, according to the November rankings. Maryland is currently on the outside looking in with the 12th spot.

“The ranking implications of this game are huge,” Roberts said. “You’re expected to beat teams behind you and it’s detrimental to your cause if you can’t beat the teams behind you. … This is a game that we should win and a game that we have to win. We can’t afford to lose this game.”

Senior forward Chris Johnson will be held out due to an upper-body injury, Roberts confirmed. Junior goalie Chris Mullen will get the nod in net.

Game time at Maryland’s Wells Ice Arena is set to start at 8:15 p.m.

-Andrew Parent