Tristen Taylor's 32 points spark largest comeback win in program history
PHILADELPHIA – Just 11 days ago, Temple head coach Diane Richardson was about as upset as she had been all season in a postgame press conference. The Owls had lost by 13 to Tulane, and the veteran head coach described the night in no uncertain terms.
Eleven days and three games later, it looks like Richardson’s team got the message and might be turning the corner.
On their same home floor at the Liacouras Center Saturday afternoon, Temple roared back from a 26-point deficit – the largest in the program’s history – to grab an 83-82 win over Charlotte Saturday afternoon.
Tristen Taylor’s 32 points powered Temple, which trailed Charlotte by 76-54 after three quarters before outscoring the 49ers by 29-6 in the final period. The 5-foot-5 junior sank two free throws with 3.5 seconds left to secure the game-winning points, and Imani Smith’s halfcourt attempt missed at the buzzer.
Taylor scored the final 10 points of the day for Temple down the stretch on a pair of threes, a floater and the game-winning foul shots. She was a perfect 6-for-6 from three-point range, and her late free throws gave Temple its first lead of the day.
“We led four seconds in this game,” Richardson said, “and it was the most important four seconds of the entire game.”
Temple improved to 9-10 overall and 3-4 in the American Conference, while Charlotte fell to 9-11 and an identical 3-4 mark in conference play.
Postgame audio
Listen to the postgame press conference with Diane Richardson, Tristen Taylor, Kaylah Turner and Felicia Jacobs here. Turner finished with 17 points and Jacobs played the entire fourth quarter and finished with four rebounds and an assist.
Front page photo courtesy of Temple Athletics.
