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Posted Wednesday, Jan. 11, 11:28 p.m. The GW women’s basketball team played Wednesday night like it wanted revenge. Last year the Temple Owls came into the Smith Center for the Atlantic 10 tournament and beat the host Colonials in the championship game by eight points.
Not this time.
A much younger GW squad knocked off No. 19/20 Temple 58-41 in front of 520 fans at the Smith Center early Wednesday evening. The upset gives the team a chance to be ranked for the first time since the 2003-2004 season.
GW shot 46.5 percent from the floor and got a game-high 11 points from freshman Jazmine Adair. Ten points from sophomore classmates Kimberly Beck and Sarah-Jo Lawrence aided the Colonials (10-4, 3-0 A-10).
Temple’s offensive productivity was anemic; the team only managed 27 percent from the floor. Khadija Bowens had 11 points on 4-for-14 shooting while Kamesha Harriston had 10 points on 4-for-16 shooting. Standout Candice Dupree shot an uncharacteristic 4-for-14 from the floor for eight points. The Owls turned the ball over 19 times and forced 21 GW turnovers.
Coach Joe McKeown said he credits the tough out-of-conference schedule with preparing his team for the A-10 matchup.
“By now, we’re battle tested,” McKeown said. “We’re not going to see much we haven’t seen.”
Temple head coach Dawn Staley said she thought Temple was the better team and that her squad played sub-par basketball.
“I didn’t think we played well,” Staley said. “Offensively, we rushed. We gave a lot away.”
Temple attempted to quell the GW productivity in the second half with a full-court press that was temporarily effective. The Colonials shot 50 percent in the second half.
In the first half, the Colonials held Temple to seven field goals and 15 points while taking a 10-point halftime lead. GW held the Owls scoreless for eight minutes on an 11-0 run fueled by penetrating drives by Lawrence.
McKeown said he is not preoccupied with the possibility of a top-25 ranking.
“Those things take care of themselves,” McKeown said. “The biggest thing is letting people know we’re 10-4.”
GW last defeated the Owls during the 2003-2004 season in Philadelphia. The women will face Xavier in Foggy Bottom on Sunday at noon.
