Losing streak continues

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Only twice in coach Tonya Cardoza’s tenure as the head of the Owls’ program has her squad lost five consecutive games.

The only other time was last season when Temple dropped non-conference games against ranked opponents Ohio State, Texas A&M and Rutgers and non-ranked foe’s Northern Illinois and St. John’s.

Last season the Owls had the likes of senior guards Shey Peddy, BJ Williams and Kristen McCarthy to stop the bleeding and eventually lead the team to a 23-10 season.

This season there’s senior guard Victoria Macaulay, sophomore guard Tyonna Williams and not much else.

Cardoza called this one of the most challenging times in her five years at Temple.

“Most definitely,” Cardoza said. “And I don’t think it has anything to do with youth, I think it’s a mindset that you have to play when you play this game.”

The Owls have two more games before they start the Atlantic 10 Conference season. It’ll be interesting to see how she tries to right the ship.

-Jake Adams

Thames showing progress

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Redshirt-junior forward Natasha Thames appears to be getting more comfortable with each game following her season-ending knee injury last season.

Coach Tonya Cardoza limited her only other big man outside of senior center Victoria Macaulay to 16, 27 and 22 minutes in the team’s first three games, respectively. Since then she’s averaged 36.4 minutes per game. Her lowest total was 28 against Bowling Green when she left early with a concussion, causing her to miss the next game.

In her last three starts Thames has shot 57.1 percent from the field, compared to 39.3 percent in her previous five starts. In that same span she’s averaging 9.33 points compared to five points to start the season.

Only her rebounding has been consistent, as she’s averaged seven per contest with only one double-digit rebound performance thus far.

As she gets more comfortable expect both her scoring and rebounding to improve further.

-Jake Adams

Macaulay shining despite team’s record

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Even if her team doesn’t have the record to show for it, senior center Victoria Macaulay is sure making a case for Atlantic 10 Conference Most Valuable Player.

The Owls’ lone senior ranks near the top in several categories in the conference just over a month into the season. She has 16.8 points (third in the A-10), 9.7 rebounds (fourth) and 2.1 blocks (third) per game, and is shooting 56.5 percent (first) all while playing 35.6 minutes (fourth).

The only players with comparable numbers are Virginia Commonwealth University’s senior swing-woman Robyn Parks and Butler’s junior forward Daress McClung.

Parks is averaging 18 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per game while playing 34.6 minutes. But she’s shooting under 50 percent.

McClung is averaging 16.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 2.5 blocks per game. But she’s also shooting under 50 percent and doesn’t rank in the top-10 in minutes played like the other two candidates.

It’s too early to designate a clear favorite but Macaulay has to be up near the top, if not at the top.

-Jake Adams

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

Owls will try to end losing streak in Big 5 battle

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The women’s basketball team will look to stop a two-game losing skid in their first Big 5 meeting of the season tonight.

Coming off a bad loss to Kent State (1-9) and a 22-point loss to Auburn (9-2) the Owls will have no easy time tonight against rival Villanova.

The Wildcats will enter tonight at 8-1 and 3-0 at home. Coach Harry Perretta’s squad are winners of their last seven games. Laura Sweeney, averaging 12 points and six rebounds per game, and Rachel Roberts, averaging 11 points and 3 rebounds, lead a balanced Villanova offense.

Although they’ll be playing on the outskirt of the city, tonight will be Temple’s third game of a six-game road swing. Losers of their last two, the Owls have fallen to 5-4 and just 1-3 in away games.

Perhaps the most alarming difference between these two teams is their turnover ratios. Temple has been plagued by turnovers all season, averaging 23 giveaways per game. Villanova, on the other hand, does a great job of protecting the ball. The Wildcats average just 12 turnovers per game.

Villanova is also shooting .364 from three-point range on the season, while Temple is shooting .254 from beyond the arc. However, the Owls will have sophomore guard Rateska Brown available off the bench tonight. Brown, arguably the team’s best three-point shooter, missed the previous game against Auburn due to a violation of team conduct.

Temple coach Tonya Cardoza admitted earlier in the week that Villanova is a team the Owls typically have a tough time defending. They’ll look to break that notion tonight in their first Big 5 affair of the season.

The Owls and Wildcats are set to tip off at 6 p.m. in Villanova.

-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

Two forwards out for season

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Senior ice hockey forwards Chris Brennan and Chris Johnson are both out for the remainder of the academic semester due to injury, coach Jerry Roberts said.

Brennan will sit out due to mild concussion symptoms resulting from a hit taken last week in a 6-2 loss against the University of Maryland. Brennan has a history of concussion-related problems and is being treated with caution this time around as a result.

“He had a doctor appointment this past week and we’re going to give him some time to relax,” Roberts said.“Every injury he has gets a little more serious than the one before. With his history, we want to make sure we aretaking on the proper precautions.”

Meanwhile, Johnson has had complications in dealing with what Roberts termed the “early stages of arthritis” in his back.

“There are long-term concerns for him in life beyond hockey with his back so that’s something we’re concerned about,” Roberts said.“He’s going through a rehab program over [winter break].”

Barring any setbacks, the two seniors are projected to return after the academic break.

Preparation key in taking on Monmouth

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Heading into tomorrow’s matchup with top conference rival Penn State, Temple will be looking to gain momentum tonight when it takes on Monmouth University.

The Owls are coming off of a 6-2 loss to the University of Maryland on Nov. 30.

“We made sure in practice this week that we were more aware of our play and how we’re doing instead of worrying about the opposition,” coach Jerry Roberts said.“We know we’re going to go out there and take steps towards making progress and getting to where we need to be.”

The Owls (12-8) are 5-5 in Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association play, while Monmouth (5-4) sits at 1-3 in the conference.

Heading into a tough matchup tomorrow night with the ice lions of State College, Roberts knows this one is a must-win.

“It’s not so much about the scoreboard as much as it is playing the right way and making sure we’re prepared properly tomorrow,” Roberts said.“We can win this game tonight by one goal and feel like we aren’t prepared going into tomorrow. We’re looking to do the right things tonight that’ll help tomorrow.”

Junior goalie Chris Mullen will get the nod in net for both weekend games. Senior forwards Chris Brennan and Chris Johnson are both ruled out for the rest of the semester due to injury.

Game time is set for 8:30 p.m.

-Andrew Parent