Temple outlasts Drexel in Big 5 women’s basketball matchup despite early shooting woes

Temple guard Tiarra East has battled some ups and downs in her first four games.

It seemed as if Drexel’s defense had her figured out in the first half of Temple’s opening game in the Big 5 Classic Tournament on Saturday afternoon.

But, she had other plans in the second half of the Owls’ 52-43 win over Drexel (2-2) at the Liacouras Center.

Temple (3-2) outscored the Dragons, 30-16, in the second half. The Owls face La Salle (3-3) on Dec. 1 for a spot in the Big 5 championship game on Dec. 6 at Finneran Pavilion.

“I told them in the locker room that’s just one game,” said Temple coach Diane Richardson. “We still have more to go. Obviously, being a Big 5 champion is big in this city, and I’ve learned that. We want to represent Temple in this tournament because I think there are going to be a lot of eyes on this tournament this year.”

Here are three takeaways from Temple’s win:

East has long been a pivotal part of the Owls’ program. The senior was named to the preseason all-American Athletic Conference second team but has had a pair of games this season in which she was held below 10 points. She was just 3-of-13 from the field against Delaware on Nov. 12 and 2-of-17 against Georgetown on Nov. 19.

She shot just 2-of-9 in the first half on Saturday. Forward Anissa Rivera also struggled, going 0-for-4 off the bench.

However, both turned it on in the second half. East took over the third quarter, while Rivera followed in the fourth.

“It was just about being confident in our shots,” East said. “Just seeing the whole play through, looking for open teammates.”

East scored seven of her 15 points in the third quarter and sparked Temple’s comeback in the frame. Rivera then opened the fourth by scoring Temple’s first eight points and finished with 10 of her 12 points in the frame.

Rivera added six rebounds and four steals. East finished with five assists and four rebounds.

The Owls have not shot the ball well to start the year, and the Dragons exploited that on Saturday.

Coach Amy Mallon’s team utilized a 2-3 zone for most of the afternoon, and Temple couldn’t figure out how to attack the paint. The Owls shot just 21.6% from the field and 3-of-9 from three in the first half.

Despite their offensive struggles, the Owls stepped up on defense, especially in the fourth quarter. Temple forced 25 Drexel turnovers and held the Dragons to just four points in the final six minutes of play. Drexel guard Amaris Baker averaged 21 points entering the game and finished with four on 2-for-10 shooting.

» READ MORE: The secret behind Temple’s strong start in men’s hoops? A deep bench that puts up points

“Our shots weren’t falling in the first half,” Rivera said. “We said our defense would help us score. That was the motivation.”

The Owls searched their bench for a spark in the second quarter. Richardson turned to her young core and found freshman guards Savannah Curry and Adena Webster. The two combined for just seven points but brought solid defense and ball movement to the lineup when the offense looked stagnant.

Freshman forward Felicia Jacobs also stepped up when forward Jaleesa Molina struggled and added two points and four rebounds off the bench.

The Owls return to the Liacouras Center to face Princeton (3-2) on Tuesday (5 p.m. ESPN+). Meanwhile, the Dragons will hit the road to face red-hot Penn State (7-0) on Wednesday (1 p.m., Big Ten Network).