Temple locks down American Conference tournament berth with 86-57 rout of UAB
Temple can walk away from Saturday’s 86-57 road win at UAB knowing it will be back in town in about 10 days.
Kaylah Turner’s 26 points led the Owls to a dominant win at Bartow Arena that clinched them a berth in next month’s American Conference tournament in Birmingham. Those games will be played about five minutes across town at Legacy Arena.
In bumping its record to 13-15 overall and 7-9 in conference play, head coach Diane Richardson’s team is tied for seventh in the league standings with Charlotte. The top six teams receive a first-round bye in the conference tournament, and Temple sits a half game behind UTSA, which is set to play Memphis Sunday. The Roadrunners have swept the Owls this season and would therefore own a tiebreaker edge.
As for Saturday, Temple scored the first nine points of the game – with Turner hitting two of her six three-pointers in that span – and never trailed. The Owls had a comfortable 49-23 over the Blazers (10-18, 3-13) at halftime and went on to force 21 UAB turnovers and swipe 15 steals.
Forward Saniyah Craig chipped in 16 points and seven rebounds, while fellow forward Jaleesa Molina added 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Brianna Mead and freshman forward Ariana Meriedy tallied eight points apiece off the bench.
Temple has two regular-season games remaining and a chance to finish among the top six teams in the league standings and grab a first-round conference tournament bye. The Owls play at South Florida (18-11, 11-5) Tuesday and then host Florida Atlantic (12-16, 6-10) next Saturday. Temple knocked off USF by three back on Jan. 20 at the Liacouras Center and has yet to face FAU.
Front page photo courtesy of Temple Athletics.
