Women’s basketball vs. Massachusetts: 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Liacouras Center
Entering tonight’s game with an eight-game winning, the Owls (15-8, 8-1 A-10) will face a Massachusetts team that is 6-18 overall and 1-8 in the conference. The game is designated as a Play 4Kay game, which raises awareness for breast cancer in memory of the late North Carolina State coach Kay Yow.
TTN KATE McCANN Senior guard Shey Peddy.
The overall series belongs to the Owls as they have won 29 out of 48 meetings, while winning 10 of the last 11 games.
The Owls’ offense has improved as of late and it’s being led by senior guard Shey Peddy, who averages 16.7 points per game. In Temple’s latest victory against Saint Louis (8-16, 2-7 A-10), 65-50, on Wednesday, senior guard BJ Williams led the Owls on the road scoring a season-high 21 points.
In the same contest against the Billikens, freshman guard Rateska Brown scored a career-high 12 points and junior forward Victoria Macaulay recorded a double-double of 10 points and a career-tying 13 rebounds. Peddy had nine points in the game and added a game-high four steals.
The Owls are ranked 43rd in the RPI of 342 teams.
Massachusetts’ junior forward Shakia Robinson leads the Minutewomen in scoring this season with 12.4 points per game. Junior center Jasmine Watson, who stands at 6 feet 3 inches, owns an average of 12 points and a team-leading 7.8 rebounds per game.
The Minutewomen enter tonight’s game with a seven-game losing streak.
Men’s basketball vs. Xavier: 9 p.m. Saturday at Liacouras Center. ESPN2.
The nightcap against the Xavier Musketeers will decide whether Temple will share its first-place standing with the visitors. The Musketeers (16-8, 7-3 A-10) enter the game having won seven of their last 10 games, including a close loss to the Memphis Tigers, 72-68, last Saturday.
TTN LESLIE FRAZIER Senior Guard Ramone Moore.
Tonight’s game will be a white-out, as fans will receive white T-shirts to wear on a first-come, first-serve basis before the game. The overall series between the two teams is led by the Owls, 12-10, with Xavier winning the last meeting 88-77 at Cincinnati on Jan. 22, 2011.
The Owls (18-5, 7-2 A-10) are led by senior guard Ramone Moore who leads all scorers in the conference with 18.3 points per game. Moore has scored in double figures in all but one game this season. The Owls own a .401 three-point percentage, which is second in the conference, behind La Salle.
Xavier’s senior guard Tu Holloway leads the team in scoring with 16.3 points and 5.8 assists per game. The team is first in the conference in overall field-goal percentage defense (.391) and second in three-point field goal percentage defense (.302).
