PHILADELPHIA – Fresh off a convincing victory at Tulane, the Temple women’s basketball team (11-9, 5-3 AAC) will return to The Liacouras Center on Wednesday, January 31 at 7 p.m. to host Wichita State (6-15, 2-7 AAC). The two met earlier this month, with the Owls winning by a 23-point margin. The game will stream on ESPN+ and The Varsity Network App. Tickets are available at Owlstix.com.
LAST TIME OUT: Temple 68 @ Tulane 50
> Temple improved its road conference game record to 3-1 on the year, taking down Tulane, 68-50.
> It was tight early on, but Temple pulled away via a 14-0 run from the end of the first into the early second quarter.
> The Green Wave improved in the second half, but Temple had an answer at every turn. Tulane looked to close the gap early in the final frame, Rayne Tucker converted an and-one opportunity to deliver the knockout punch.
> Demi Washington headlined for the Owls, scoring a career-high 22 points. Tarriyonna Gary also impressed, scoring 16 points for the second straight game while hitting four three pointers.
THE OWLS
> Temple currently ranks 7th in the NCAA in offensive rebounds per game (16.8) and 13th in turnover margin (+6.0). The Owls also rank first in the AAC in assist/turnover ratio (+1.02) and are first in the conference in turnovers per game (14.2).
> Tiarra East (11.4 ppg) and Aleah Nelson (11.9 pgg) are scoring over 10 points per game. Nelson ranks 19th in the conference in points per game. Seven players are averaging over seven points per game.
> Washington has come strong as of late. The graduate transfer wing is putting up 14.2 points per game over the last five contests.
> Nelson has continued to stake her claim as one of the best passers in the AAC, ranking first in the conference in assist/turnover ratio (+2.00) and third in assists per game (4.4). Only seven players in the nation have more points and more assists than Nelson.
> On the boards, Rayne Tucker ranks 7th the AAC in rebounds per game with 7.5. Tucker and Ines Piper are both top 10 in the conference in blocks.
SCOUTING WICHITA STATE
> Following an 18-15 season last year and a WNIT berth, Wichita State elected to choose a new leader for the program in former Kansas assistant Terry Nooner.
> This season, the Shockers are 6-15. They have lost six of the last seven games, with the lone win coming over Memphis, 71-66 in Wichita.
> A large portion of Wichita State’s points comes from three players. Tre’Zure Jobe and Daneila Abies tie for the team lead in scoring with 12.3 points per game. Abies also leads in the team in crashing the glass with 8.4 rebounds per contest. Freshman Salese Blow adds extra scoring punch with 11.7 ppg.
SERIES HISTORY
> Temple and WSU have played each other every season since Wichita State joined the AAC in 2017. The Owls are 9-5 all time against the Shockers. The two sides met once prior to sharing a conference in 1983.
> Temple took three straight after Wichita State won the first conference meeting between the two in 2018.
> The two sides played three times last season including in the AAC Tournament, with the Shockers holding a 2-1 advantage.
> Earlier this season, Temple blew out Wichita State in one of its best defensive efforts of the last few years, allowing only 15 points in the first half, its least since 2019. Demi Washington set a then career high of 20 points while going 9-11 from the field. She broke that career-high last game against Tulane.
UP NEXT
> Temple hits the road again for a rematch against Charlotte. The Sunday matchup will tip at 2 p.m. on ESPN+ and the Varsity Network App.