Temple women fall to No. 24 Princeton in first game of Diane Richardson era

The first game of the Diane Richardson era found visiting Temple on the latter end of a 67-49 scoreline to No. 24-ranked Princeton.

Temple got off to a slow start, entering the second quarter down, 20-9. However, the Owls showed life with a 15-4 run to close out the first half down just three, 28-25. Princeton would outscore the Owls, 39-24, in the second half to earn its first win of the season.

“It is a measure against a Top 25 team,” Richardson said. “I knew that going in that they’re a tough, tough team.”

Temple (0-1, 0-0 American) guard Jasha Clinton led with a game-high 15 points and Tiarra East had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Princeton’s (1-0, 0-0 Ivy) Kaitlyn Chen had 14 points, shooting 6-for-10 from the field. Princeton forward Ellie Mitchel dominated the boards with 15 rebounds while guard Julia Cunningham had five assists. Clinton was also active on defense, leading the way with three steals while Chen and Cunningham each had two blocks.

Temple is a competitive group. A team filled with transfers and a new coaching staff hung with a nationally-ranked teamfor three quarters.

“We had a lot of fouls called on us so we’ve got to watch that and defend without fouling,” Richardson said. “I think we put them on the free throw line 31 times ... all of our bigs fouled out.”

After last week’s scrimmage win over St. Thomas Aquinas, Richardson said she wants her team to shoot 46% from three in her first season on the job. In its first game, Temple shot just 29% from the field and went 1-for-20 from beyond the arc.

However, Temple’s passing was impressive. Without a ball-stopper like Mia Davis – the program’s all-time leading scorer – on the floor, the Owls had more room to operate and were more focused on creating shots for their teammates, despite what a team total of six assists might suggest.

Halfway through the third quarter, wing Jalynn Holmes had a chance to cut Temple’s deficit to three. However, Holmes missed an open layup under the basket and the Owls were unable to trim the deficit. Inevitably, it would be the Owls’ inability to find open shots to capitalize on their solid defense for much of the game.

“We’ve got to be more succinct,” Richardson said. “We’ve got to be very careful with our ball security and making sure we’re strong.”

Temple host its second nonconference foe in Georgetown in the Owls’ home opener on Saturday (4 p.m., ESPN+).