Women’s basketball adds two recruits

Temple penned two recruits ahead of the season opener Friday, as Philadelphia local Deja Reynolds and Chyanna Canada from Binghamton, New York signed on for the 2015-16 season, the team announced Wednesday.

Reynolds, a 5-foot-9-inch guard for Imhotep Charter High School, averaged 17 points, seven assists, five rebounds and three steals per game as a junior last season, helping Imhotep to a 22-2 record and the Philadelphia Girls Public City Championship.

Reynolds also reached the 1,000-point mark for her career at Imhotep, and was named MVP in several recruiting showcases, the 2014 8-Eye Classic and the 2014 MLK Classic as a member of the Philly Triple Threat AAU team.

Canada, a 6-foot-2 forward from Nottingham High School, averaged a double-double in points and rebounds in her sophomore and junior years. She averaged 14 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks per game last season, earning an All-Central New York Team selection.

Canada also earned an all-area selection last season, and three all-league selections.

Owls left out of NCAA tournament

The NCAA’s selection show announcing the 16-team field of teams to play in the NCAA tournament did not call Temple’s name Sunday night, ending its season.

Despite losing the Big East title and an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, Temple still had the possibility of earning an at-large bid.

Temple finished the regular season with a 13-6 overall record (3-2 Big East) and the nation’s No. 16 ranking. The Owls defeated No. 17 Old Dominion 2-1 in the semifinal of the conference tournament on Friday.

Women’s basketball picked fourth in coaches poll

Temple is expected to finish fourth in the American Athletic Conference, based on a preseason coaches poll compiled at The American’s media day Thursday at the New York Athletic Club.

The Owls are tied for the fourth spot with Tulane, as both teams received 67 points in the poll.

Sophomore guard Feyonda Fitzgerald was also named as a preseason All-Conference selection by American coaches, after averaging 12.9 points and 3.9 assists per game in her freshman season.

UConn, which will be starting the 2014-15 season at No. 1 in the Associated Press Top-25 poll, is the favorite to win the conference, receiving 10 of 11 first-place votes in the poll.

East Carolina came in third with 72 points, and USF in second with 91 points.

Temple finished the 2013-14 campaign at 14-16, and lost to USF, 72-44, in the quarterfinals of the conference championship.

The Owls will open up their season with a Big 5 matchup Nov. 14 at home against La Salle.

Owls remain No. 16

The eighth Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll has the Owls in the No. 16 spot for the third straight week, while remaining at No. 13 in the NCAA’s RPI (ratings percentage index) rankings.

Temple (13-5, 3-1 Big East conference) beat Georgetown and Lafayette last weekend via back-to-back 4-0 shutouts. The team’s last game before postseason play will be at home against No. 4 UConn Saturday at 1 p.m.

UConn (13-2 overall) is 4-0 in conference play and winner of it last seven. The Owls, meanwhile, have gone on a 6-2 run since conference play opened back on Oct. 3, and have won their last three contests.

Temple will be seeded no lower than third in the Big East tournament, regardless of what happens on Saturday. But a win against the Huskies could make them the top seed heading into the postseason.

Delp named to conference honor roll

Junior forward/midfielder Alyssa Delp was named to the Big East Conference Field Hockey Weekly Honor Roll after tallying a goal and an assist in Temple’s loss to Old Dominion on Friday.

After falling into a 2-0 hole, Delp provided the helper on a goal by Youtz that got the Owls on the board in the 20th minute. She then came back about three minutes later, and scored the tying goal to make it a 2-2 game heading into halftime.

Delp has four goals, two assists and 10 points in 13 starts this season.

Temple stays put at No. 16

Temple stayed at No. 16 in this week’s Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll, and sit at No. 13 in the NCAA’s ratings percentage index rankings.

The Owls (11-5, 2-1 Big East) split this past weekend with a 3-2 loss to conference foe Old Dominion (now No. 17) Friday and a 4-1 win against William and Mary on Saturday.

There are three games left on the regular season schedule. Two of them are conference matchups against Georgetown (5-9, 0-3 Big East) on the road Oct. 24 and No. 5 UConn (11-2, 3-0 Big East) at home on Nov. 1.

The Owls will have one more non-conference game against Lafayette (5-9) on Oct. 26 at home.

As the regular season begins to come to a close, senior forward Amber Youtz has found herself at the top of the nation’s stat sheets. Her 1.31 goals per game is the best in the NCAA and her 2.81 points per game is second in the nation.

With 21 goals and 45 points, Youtz leads the Big East in both categories by a wide margin, and is a goal and nine points away from tying her career-high 22 goals and 54 points set in 2012.

Youtz is also closing in on third all-time in goals and points for the program, improving her career totals to 63 goals and 148 points after recording another three goals and 11 points during the weekend. She needs five more goals and 16 more points to tie Monica Mills (1981-84) for third in each category.

Redshirt senior goalkeeper Lizzy Millen has also put up a productive season to this point, posting a 79.5 save percentage that is seventh in the nation, and a 1.55 goals against average that ranks 20th.

Owls ranked No. 14

Temple moved up a spot in both the national coaches’ poll and the NCAA RPI rankings Tuesday.

The Owls are now ranked No. 14, and No. 12 in RPI (ratings percentage index), after a weekend sweep to wrap up non-conference play.

In back-to-back games, Temple (7-3) came up with a 5-0 shutout against Kent State on Saturday and a 3-2 win against American University on Sunday.

The Owls begin Big East play on the road Friday against Providence (7-3) at 5 p.m.

Millen, Youtz take Big East honors

All honors belong to Temple this week.

Redshirt senior goalkeeper Lizzy Millen was named Big East Defensive Player of the Week for the third time this season, and senior forward Amber Youtz was given the conference’s Offensive Player of the Week award for the first time this year, taking both of the Big East’s weekly honors.

Youtz scored four goals and nine points across both of Temple’s wins over the weekend, starting with her fifth career hat-trick in a 5-0 shutout of Kent State on Saturday.

The Dauphin, Pennsylvania native has scored at least once in six of Temple’s 10 games so far, averaging a goal per game, which is tied for seventh in the nation and first in the Big East. Youtz’s 2.20 points per game is 15th in the NCAA and also a Big East best.

The speedy forward, who leads the team in scoring with 10 goals and 22 points, also moved up to fourth on the program’s all-time goals list on Sunday, when she tallied her 52nd career goal in a 3-2 win against American University on Sunday.

Millen, meanwhile, has been standing on her head. The goalkeeper made 13 saves during the weekend, bringing her save percentage up to a 83.1 percent average, good for sixth in the NCAA and best in the conference.

The Whitehall, Pennsylvania native’s 1.33 goals against average is 15th in the nation, and third in the Big East. Her 5.90 saves per game are another conference best, and tied for 24th in the nation.

Field hockey moves to No. 15 ranking

Temple took the No. 15 spot in the third week of the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll, and the No. 13 spot in the first week of the NCAA’s RPI rankings.

The Owls are 5-3 after splitting back-to-back games this weekend. Temple defeated Bucknell on the road 2-1 last Saturday, but lost 1-0 at home to Drexel in overtime a day later.

Redshirt senior goalkeeper Lizzy Millen made 11 saves during the weekend, moving her up to ninth in Division I with an 82.1 percent average. Millen’s goals against average of 1.38 ranks No. 17 in the nation after allowing two goals in those two games.

Temple has back-to-back games on the schedule again this weekend, with home matchups against Kent State (2-5) Saturday at noon and American University (5-3) Sunday at 2 p.m.

Field hockey moves to No. 13 in poll

Temple moved up to the No. 13 ranking in week two of the Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I National Coaches Poll, it was announced Tuesday.

The Owls, who were ranked No. 16 last week, are 4-2 overall thus far, with both of their losses coming from teams that were ranked within the nation’s Top 5. Duke, who was ranked No. 4 when it played Temple on Sept. 7, shut out the Owls 3-0. Maryland did the same this past Sunday, with the No. 3 ranking.

Both teams moved up a spot in the poll this week, with Duke (6-0) now No. 3 and Maryland (5-1) No. 2.

The weekend ahead has Temple facing Bucknell on the road this Saturday, then Drexel at home on Sunday.