Second-seeded Temple women eye A-10 tourney title

WITH A COVETED automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line, the Atlantic 10 women's basketball tournament kicks off today at Saint Joseph's Hagan Arena.

Leading the way for the Philly fleet is second-seeded Temple. The Owls sit at 20-8 overall, 13-1 in conference, and enter the tournament on the heels of a 13-game win streak. They are joined by fifth-seeded Saint Joseph's and eighth-seeded La Salle.

Temple coach Tonya Cardoza, in her fourth year, is still looking for that elusive first tournament championship. She pointed to last year, when the Owls fell in the semifinals, to indicate the value of entering the tournament on a high note.

"I definitely think it's helpful," Cardoza said. "Last year we had a 15-game win streak and lost to Xavier right before the tournament and it shook us a little. We went into the A-10 tourney on a low. Being able to be on a winning streak and feeling good about how you're playing provides a boost of confidence."

Temple is led by senior standout Shey Peddy, who was just named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. The 5-7 guard averages 17 points and more than three steals per game, and according to Cardoza has keyed Temple's win streak on both ends of the floor.

"Our defense triggers our offense and it starts with Shey," Cardoza said. "She scores a lot of points and gets us going defensively, just by getting steals and getting out on the break. She has definitely turned her game up a notch."

Senior guard Kristen McCarthy and junior center Victoria Macaulay are also vital contributors for the Owls. Macaulay's improved play has provided the Owls with an interior presence they didn't have early in the season.

Under Cardoza, the Owls have been to the NCAA Tournament all 3 years, advancing to the second round twice. In 2010, they fell to eventual champion Connecticut; last year, it was runner-up Notre Dame that sent the Owls home.

While Temple is likely to get an NCAA Tournament bid regardless of this weekend's results, winning the A-10 Tournament could help the Owls avoid a tough second-round matchup. They have put an emphasis on winning what is right in front of them.

"Whenever you start your season, you want to win a championship," Cardoza said. "We lost the Big 5 and didn't win the regular-season A-10 title. So this one is right there for our seniors."

Temple has a first-round bye, and tomorrow will play the winner of today's Duquesne-George Washington matchup. La Salle faces two-time defending tournament champion Xavier, the ninth seed, at 11:30 a.m. today while St. Joe's plays Fordham, seeded 12th, at 2:30.

With the tournament at Hagan Arena, all three teams will have the advantage of being close to home.

"The tournament is wide open," Cardoza said. "Anyone has a shot at winning if you can just get a good couple of games under your belt. There are no favorites at this point."

Tenth-seeded Villanova will open the Big East Tournament today at 6 at Hartford, Conn., against 15th-seeded Seton Hall.

Villanova (16-13, 6-10) defeated Seton Hall, 62-53, on Jan. 31. The winner will play seventh-seeded Louisville tomorrow.

Notre Dame, No. 3 in the country, won its first regular-season title.