PHILADELPHIA – Led by Shey Peddy’s 18 points and BJ Williams’ nine assists, the Temple women’s basketball team defeated visiting UCLA (5-5) by a score of 59-53 on Tuesday night in McGonigle Hall. The Owls (5-5) won their third straight and shot close to or better than 50 percent for nearly the entire contest.
Peddy hit 7-of-12 from the field including 3-of-6 behind the arc. Brittany Lewis also shot 7-of-12 to finish with 15 points, while Williams added 13 points to her season-high nine assists. Victoria Macaulay led the team with six rebounds and a game-high three blocks.
Thea Lemberger scored 13 points to lead UCLA, while Markel Walker, a Philadelphia native with a large hometown following, nearly recorded a double-double with 13 points and a game-high eight boards.
After taking a 3-2 lead on a trey from Peddy, the Owls never again trailed in the game. The only tie came at 10-10 before Temple went on to lead by as many as eight, 25-17 on a jumper by Monaye Merritt with 3:39 remaining.
The Bruins used an 8-2 run to come within two points in the final minute of the half, 27-25, but Peddy hit a buzzer-beater for the Owls to give them a four-point, 29-25 lead the break. Temple shot 52 percent from the field in the first half to UCLA’s 40 percent.
Peddy and Williams each hit three-pointers as part of a 9-1 opening run for the Owls in the second half that gave them a 12-point, 38-26 lead at 16:33. It would turn out to be Temple’s largest lead of the game, as the Bruins answered with a pair of treys to cut the margin back to six.
The outcome was never a sure thing as both teams battled, and UCLA helped its cause with five big three-pointers in the second half after making just one in the first.
After a 7-0 run that included back-to-back fastbreak layups from Lewis, the Owls looked strong with an 11-point lead and just 6:26 remaining, but the Bruins came right back with an 8-0 run of their own. Lemberger’s third three-pointer of the game put the margin at just three points, 54-51 with 3:11 to go.
Peddy hit two big shots in Temple’s next four possessions, including a falling-down jumper with 15 seconds remaining that gave the Owls a five-point lead. Kristen McCarthy was fouled with two seconds on the clock and hit one of two at the line for the final tally of 59-53.
The Owls will be back in action very soon, taking on Villanova at home on Thursday, Dec. 22. Tip-off for the Big 5 game is set for 4:00 p.m. in McGonigle Hall.
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