Dec. 4, 2010
AUBURN - Temple's Brittany Lewis hit her only shot of the game, a 3-pointer from the right side with 1:22 left in the game, giving the Owls a lead it would not give up as Temple (4-4) pulled out the 62-61 win against Auburn Saturday afternoon. Senior Alli Smalley passed the 20-point mark for the first time this season, leading the Tigers with 22 points in the loss.
"It is a tough loss because it was a very winnable game," said Auburn head coach Nell Fortner. "We had the lead and just could not hold on to it. I tip my hat to Temple, they are a very tough team and never gave up."
Auburn trailed during most of the first half, but came back to tie the game at 33 going into halftime. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Smalley and sophomore Blanche Alverson in the final three minutes tied the game up going into the locker room.
One of the bright spots of the game for Auburn was a Smalley 3-pointerwith 8:37 left in the game. Not only did the trey give the Tigers a six-point lead, but was also 185th of Smalley's career, giving her the Auburn record for career 3-pointers.
"I'm very proud of Alli for what she has done during her time at Auburn," said Fortner. "She is a warrior and does so much for our team."
Auburn eventually led by as many as seven points after a Hilliard layup with 6:27 to go, giving the Tigers a 54-47 lead. But Temple used its outside shooting, hitting four 3-pointers in the final five minutes, to out-score Auburn 15-7 down the stretch for the win.
"We did not finish the game, it is that simple," said Fortner. "We definitely had our opportunities, but we have to get better at playing a 40-minute game and closing out these close ones."
Three Tigers scored in double figures, led by Smalley's 22 points. Alverson and Hilliard scored 10 points each while senior Jordan Greenleaf scored nine points along with her game-high 12 rebounds.
Auburn shot 33.9 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from 3-point range, but lost the rebound battle (39-42) and turnover battle (15-14).
Temple was led by Shey Peddy, who was 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, with 17 points and nine rebounds. Kristen McCarthy and Qwedia Wallace each added 15 for the Owls.
The Owls shot 39.0 percent from the field and knocked down eight 3-pointers at a clip of 38.1 percent.
The Auburn women's basketball team will take an 11-day break for final exams, returning to the court Dec. 15 with a game against George Washington in Washington, D.C. Auburn will return to Auburn Arena for its next home game on Dec. 28 vs. Alabama A&M.
Follow Auburn women's basketball on Twitter at twitter.com/AuburnWBB.