Women's Hoops Continues Tough Stretch at Temple on Sunday

GAME 16: (-/RV) TULANE GREEN WAVE (10-5, 1-1) AT (-/RV) TEMPLE OWLS (10-3, 1-0)
When:	Sunday, Jan. 8 \| 5 pm CT
Where:	Philadelphia \| McGonigle Hall (3,900)
Watch:	ESPNU - Pam Ward (PxP), Gail Goestenkors (Analyst)
Watch Online:	WatchESPN
Listen:	WRBH 88.3 FM - Gus Kattengell (PxP)
Live Scoring:	Sidearm Stats
Notes:	Tulane
Social:	@GreenWaveWBB

NEW ORLEANS - Currently trekking through the gauntlet of facing six straight RPI Top-100 teams, the (-/RV) Tulane women's basketball team (10-5, 1-1) will look to shake off its first loss since Dec. 11, when they travel to Philadelphia to take on (-/RV) Temple (10-3, 1-0) on Sunday inside McGonigle Hall. The game will be the Green Wave's first true televised contest of the season, airing live on ESPNU at 5 pm CT.

LAST TIME OUT
• Tulane's five game win streak and 11-game home win streak were both snapped courtesy of No. 22 USF on Wednesday night by the final of 62-53.
• The Wave held USF to season low points total and second lowest shooting percentage (.375).
• Morgan & Vorpahl combined for 29 points on 12-of-29 shooting from the field.
• Tulane only trailed by one at the half and took a 29-26 lead in the first minute of the third quarter before USF produced a game-changing 15-4 run.
• Tulane shot better from three (40.0%) than from two (33.3%) and only reached the free-throw line three times. USF also enjoyed a 34-18 points in the paint differential.

SERIES HISTORY - TEMPLE
• Temple leads the all-time series, 4-1. The Wave's lone win came at home back on Feb. 7, 2015, via a 77-63 decision.
• Last season, the Owls swept the Wave, winning 72-54 in New Orleans and 72-67 in Philadelphia.
• Thus, Tulane has yet to win in McGonigle Hall.

SCOUTING THE OWLS
• Temple is off to a 10-3 start, which includes a ranked 84-74 win over No. 17/16 Depaul back on Dec. 15. The Owls three losses came at the hands of No. 19/23 Florida, Harvard and Hampton - all road contests. Thus, Temple is a perfect 5-0 at home this season.
• In Temple's lone conference matchup, the Owls escaped with a 73-67 overtime victory at Memphis. Five Temple players finished with double-digit points, including a game high 19 points from Feyonda Fitzgerald. Meanwhile, both Donnaizha Fountain and Ruth Sherrill each recorded double-doubles.
• Fitzgerald, an American Preseason First-Team selection, leads the offense with her 18.7 ppg on 39.8 percent shooting.
• Three other Temple players average double figures: Alliya Butts (15.8 ppg), Tanaya Atkinson (13.5 ppg), and Fountain (12.8 ppg).

TREY-MENDOUS STRETCH
After knocking down five treys at ECU and eight vs No. 22 USF, Tulane's 6.5 three-pointers per game in league play ranks first in the conference, while their .342 three-point shooting percentage ranks third. Tulane has been heating up from beyond the arc as of late, connecting on at least seven made three-pointers in four of their past six games, including a season high of 10 vs N.C. State. In fact, in the last six games, Tulane jumped its made three-pointer average from 5.2 to 6.0 and its three-point shooting percentage from .311 to .333.

Kolby Morgan has played a major role in the three-point surge. The junior has averaged 3.0 made three's in the last six games, connecting on 45.0 percent of her shots from beyond the arc. She has since raised her three-point shooting percentage from .348 to .395, which ranks fourth in The American and 74th in the nation. Meanwhile, Morgan's made three-pointers average has increased from 1.8 to 2.3, which also ranks fourth in the league.

MORGAN'S DOUBLE-DIGIT STREAK
Just two days after being held scoreless for the first time of her career at Middle Tennessee, Morgan erupted for a career high 34 points on a career best 14 made field goals at Vanderbilt on Dec. 5. Morgan has since produced eight straight games with double-digit points, including three of 20+. In that span, Morgan has averaged 19.3 ppg in which her three-point shooting percentage (.444) has been higher than her field goal percentage (.433). As a result, the junior has made The American's Honor Roll list for four consecutive weeks.

VORPAHL HEATING UP
Vorpahl has recorded double-digit points in five of the last six games, averaging 13.7 points on 45.9 percent shooting. Along the way, the senior achieved the following:
- Scored 9 of her final 15 points in the fourth quarter in the win over NC State.
- Named to the Tulane Classic All-Tournament Team after wins against Eastern Washington and Auburn.
- Recorded her first double-double of the season with 11 assists and 24 points vs Maine, as the latter marked a season high.
- Became the 28th member of Tulane's 1,000 career point club.

DOUBLE TROUBLE
When looking at the last six games in which Tulane achieved a five-game win streak before dropping a nine-point game to No. 22 USF, the Wave have received big contributions from its two preseason American All-Conference players in Morgan and Vorpahl. In fact, the duo are responsible for 50.5% of the team's scoring in the last six games (191 points out of 378).

LIFE ON THE ROAD
The month of January will see the Green Wave be hardened by battles away from home, as five of Tulane's seven league games in January are on the road: Temple. SMU, UConn, Cincinnati and Houston - with two home games sprinkled in between: Houston and Tulsa. On the flip side - five of the Wave's seven games in February will be competed at home in New Orleans.

Women's Hoops Continues Tough Stretch at Temple on Sunday

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