RHODE ISLAND vs. TEMPLE
Rhode Island returns to the Ryan Center for a Sunday afternoon contest against Temple. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. with the game being televised on Cox Sports. URI is 16-33 in the all-time series vs. the Owls, picking up its last win - a 60-59 victory - on Feb. 1, 2004. Since then, Rhody has dropped eight straight contests. The last time the teams met (Jan. 12, 2011), the Owls handed Rhode Island a 81-34 loss in Philadelphia. In that game, Megan Shoniker recorded a team-high 13 points while classmate Caitlin Kearns led URI on the glass with five boards. As a team, Rhody shot a season-low 23.4-percent (11-of-47) from the field compared to Temple's 47.8-percent (32-of-67) showing. The Owls also held a 46-29 advantage on the glass while scoring 33 points off of 25 Rhode Island turnovers.
SCOUTING THE OWLS
Temple - which is 17-8 overall and 10-1 in the Atlantic 10 - enters the game looking for its 11th consecutive win. The Owls are 7-5 this season when playing away from the Liacouras Center. TU is led offensively by two players averaging double figures: Shey Peddy (16.4 ppg) and Kristen McCarthy (13.3 ppg). Victoria Macaulay leads the team in rebounding (7.4 rpg) and blocked shots while BJ Williams has recorded a team-leading 119 assists. Collectively, Temple is averaging 64.2 points and 37.1 rebounds per game.
CATHY INGLESE vs. TEMPLE
Over her 24+ years as a head coach, Cathy Inglese has turned in a 1-2 record against Temple, going 1-0 at Boston College and 0-2 at Rhode Island.
LAST TIME OUT: LATE RALLY FALLS SHORT IN 64-53 LOSS AT ST. JOSEPH'S
- With the loss, Rhode Island drops to 1-25 overall and 0-11 in the Atlantic 10. URI also falls to 6-49 in the all-time series vs. Saint Joseph's, which improves to 17-8 (7-4).
- Rhode Island shot 40.0% on the night, hitting 20-of-50 attempts from the field and putting together its best performance since shooting 46.8% against Xavier. St. Joe's, meanwhile, connected at a 45.6% clip (26-57).
- The Rams were 12-of-15 from the free throw line while the Hawks sank just eight of their 14 attempts.
- Saint Joseph's held a 34-29 rebounding advantage and a 18-6 edge in assists. The Hawks also blocked six Rhode Island shots on the night but URI finished with eight steals to SJU's two.
- Rhody continued to struggle in the early going as it put just two points on the board over the first five minutes of play. In their last five games, the Rams have been outscored, 51-10, over the opening five minutes. The Hawks pushed their lead to 17 (21-4) at the 11:44 mark and went into the break ahead 31-20. SJU then stretched its advantage to 21 after opening the second half with a 14-4 run over the first nine minutes. Rhody rallied back over the final 10 minutes, outscoring St. Joe's 27-17, but the early deficit was too much to overcome.
- Cloutier matched her career best 17 points with six makes from the field and five from the line. Session and Rivera also scored in double figures with 14 points apiece.
