Temple women top La Salle in Big 5 action
Feyonda Fitzgerald leads with 29 points as Owls escape in final seconds.
THE BEGINNING of the college basketball season brought the first women's Big 5 matchup yesterday afternoon, as Temple defeated La Salle, 75-72, at the Liacouras Center. An errant Explorers three-pointer at the buzzer staved off overtime for the Owls.
Sophomore guard Feyonda Fitzgerald put up a game-high 29 points for Temple, as she made four of her seven shots from three-point range. Owls center Safiya Martin had 11 rebounds. La Salle forward Micahya Owens led the Explorers' effort with an 18-point, four-rebound performance.
In other games
* At Tennessee, Penn guard Beth Brzozowski put up a team-high 11 points off the bench, but lost to the fourth-ranked Lady Vols, 97-52.
* At Rutgers, Ciera Andrews scored 19 points for Saint Joseph's in a 76-52 loss to the 24th-ranked Scarlet Knights.
* At Chattanooga, Tenn., Villanova also played down in Tennessee, as the Wildcats are taking part in the three-team Chattanooga Tip-Off Challenge along with Chattanooga and South Florida. The Big East squad rallied from a 13-point second half deficit to keep it close into the final minute, but ultimately lost 49-45 to the Lady Mocs. Senior forward Lauren Burford put up an all-around effort the Wildcats with her 19-point, five-rebound performance.