PHILADELPHIA – With the game tied and under five minutes remaining, Temple women’s basketball made the shots it needed to make and came away with a 64-59 win over visiting Harvard (18-12). The Owls (23-9) now advance to the WNIT Sweet 16 to face the winner of an upcoming Monday night game between Syracuse and Drexel. Game date, site and time will be determined at the conclusion of that contest.
Shey Peddy scored 24 points including 18 in the first half to lead the Owls to their furthest-ever appearance in the modern postseason. Temple teams in the early 1980’s placed fifth and seventh in the WNIT, but the field was no larger than 12 teams at that time.
Victoria Macaulay scored 10 points for Temple, and Brittany Lewis tied her career high with a game-high 13 rebounds.
Four of Peddy’s points came in the final 32 seconds as she sank 4-of-4 at the line to hold off the Crimson. BJ Williams broke a 56-56 tied with a layup at 2:42, and hit a second one two minutes later to give Temple a 60-57 lead.
The first two of Peddy’s free throws made it a five-point margin, and layup from Harvard’s Brogan Berry got the Crimson only within three before fouling Peddy who made two more free throws to seal the victory.
Berry finished the game with a team-high 21 points for Harvard, including 3-of-5 behind the arc. Emma Golen scored 12 points and grabbed seven board for the Crimson.
The Owls shot 53 percent from the field in the first half, but it was largely Peddy who gave Harvard the most trouble. She hit 7-of-8 overall including all four attempts she took from behind the arc, and led all players at halftime with 18 points.
The game was tied twice early on, but Temple never trailed in the first half. The Owls led by just a point at 16-15 before going on an 11-2 run to take their first double-digit lead, 27-17 at 7:38.
Harvard answered with a 7-3 run, but Temple later closed the half on a 7-2 run of its own for a 39-29 advantage at the break.
The Crimson opened the second half on a 7-0 run to come within three, 39-36. Brittany Lewis capped a mini, 4-0 Temple run with a jumper at 16:44 for a seven-point lead, but after Harvard answered with a trey, neither team led by more than five the rest of the way.
Golen hit the Crimson’s sixth three-pointer of the game at the midway point of the second half to give Harvard its first lead of the game, 49-48. Berry hit her team’s seventh trey near the five-minute mark for a 56-52 lead before Temple went on to outscore Harvard 12-3 the rest of the way.
The game determining Temple’s next opponent is set for 7:00 p.m. on Monday, March 19 at Drexel. The Sweet 16 games in the WNIT can be played on any of three dates: March 21, 22 or 23.
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