With the Pennsylvania primary only weeks away, Sen. Hillary Clinton held a rally at McGonigle Hall Tuesday night to gather support and votes for this critical election.

The senator was introduced by Gov. Ed Rendell and Mayor Michael Nutter. Wen the three entered, applause and cheers lasted for more than a minute. Rendell reaffirmed his support for Clinton and said she was the best prepared candidate for president. Nutter agreed and said that her experience was necessary for a presidency.

“This is an experience job. [If] you want to run for mayor, for governor or for president, you need experience,” Nutter said.
Clinton’s family is originally from Scranton, and she said that Pennsylvania should decide who the next president should be.

“You need a president who gets up every day and says, ‘What can I do to help Gov. Rendell and Mayor Nutter to be the greatest successes they can be,” Clinton said.

The crowd roared with cheers when Clinton said she would start withdrawing troops from Iraq within 60 days if she became president.

“It took a Clinton to clean up after the first Bush, and it’ll take a Clinton to clean up after the second one,” Clinton said.

The senator also said that she wanted to end the controversial No Child Left Behind Act, expand Pell Grants for college students and freeze tuition rates for incoming students.

“I will ask colleges and universities to enter into a contract so you know exactly how much you’re going to pay all four years so the cost doesn’t go up every year,” Clinton said.

She said that she loved being at Temple because it has such a great reputation and that the schools works so hard at giving working people opportunities

She also said that if elected, she would decrease the cost of college for students through service programs. Students could perform national service before they go to college and earn up to $10,000 a year for school. For students who graduate with debt and enter a job in public service, like teaching, nursing or law enforcement, their debts would be completely erased.

One of the Clinton’s big issues was healthcare reform.

“We cannot continue to be a country where some of us are well insured but most of us are not,” Clinton said.

She said that on the campaign trail she has met numerous voters who know people who have died because they didn’t have healthy insurance.

“This is not America. We are so much better than this, and when I am president, we are going to have quality healthcare for everyone,” Clinton said.

She said that insurance companies can no longer discriminate against the sick. If she were president, Clinton said she would offer Americans the same health insurance options that the members of congress have and for those who can’t afford insurance they would get healthcare tax credits.

Clinton only briefly discussed her opponent, Sen. Barack Obama. She said she has the greatest respect for him, but believes that she is offering exactly what the country needs.

For many, this rally helped them choose between Obama and Clinton. Maryana Gordin said she was interested to hear Clinton’s opinion on important issues.

“I want to hear what she has to say and see what her differences are from Obama, because right now, I think they are kind of similar,” the sophomore accounting major said.

Clinton said she wants to give as many people as possible a chance for a good middle-class lifestyle with a rising economy.

“I have a vision of the future where America is an innovative future. We are the creators of tomorrow,” Clinton said.

The senator and her family will be campaigning throughout the state this week.

LeAnne Matlach can be reached at leannematlach@temple.edu.

It’s been just more than one year since I heard those words in person, as Rich Fields spoke them just before introducing Bob Barker.

Neither I nor my friends were called down as a contestant on The Price is Right during the two shows we watched Barker tape last spring break, but the experience is absolutely irreplaceable.

As early as the plane ride home, we were already discussing the possibility of returning to Fairfax Avenue to see a taping with the new host, who, at that point, was far from chosen.

When watching The Late Show with David Letterman one somber night over the summer, the world learned what the future of the show would be.

I went into the announcement of Drew Carey as Barker’s successor with an open mind. I loved Whose Line is it Anyway?, and I think he does a nice job on CBS’ Power of 10. But could he really fit into TPIR?

Nah.

There definitely could have been better choices (Dancing with the Stars host Tom Bergeron) and there definitely could have been worse choices (Rosie O’Donnell).

But after the Oct. 16 premiere, we quickly learned that there could never be a successor to Barker. Some could come close, but Carey wasn’t within reach.

My spring break 2008 plans had been put on hold, as the show wasn’t the same without Barker. Granted, no one expected it to be, but it was inferred that after a few months, Carey was to make it his own.

He’s tried. He’s kept Barker’s sign out – although, he’s made it a little more awkward – and he calls the former Barker’s Beauties by their real names. But is that enough?

It may or may not be. Regardless, I’ve been slowly realizing that I was incorrect to assume that the ball lies in Carey’s figurative court. After all, though 95 percent of the show’s popularity was Barker, the rest was placed on the fans.

It’s the fans that sleep outside on Fairfax Avenue for 36 hours to see TPIR. It’s the fans who lose their voices by the end of the show. It’s the fans that keep the show going.

So I announce it now. Next spring break, I’m making the trek I should have made this year.

I will be one of those screaming fans cheering on Mr. Carey as he continues his quest to satisfy the longtime viewers of one of America’s classic television programs. I will live up to my title of “fan.” I will be told to “Come on down.”

I invite you to join me.

Chris Stover can be reached at stover@temple.edu.

The women’s basketball team shot just 25 percent from the field as they lost to Xavier, 47-42, in the Atlantic Ten Conference Championship game Monday evening at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse on the campus of Saint Joseph’s University.

Senior guard Ashley Morris had a disastrous night shooting the ball, finishing a paltry 4-for-20 in the contest. She also turned the ball over eight times, finishing with 12 points and four assists. Senior center Lady Comfort added only five points, turned the ball over four times, in addition to being physically dominated down low by Xavier’s tag team of freshman center Ta’Shia Phillips and sophomore forward Amber Harris.

Even though Staley blamed her team’s poor shooting on rushed shots and playing too out of control, she actually went as far as to praise them after the game, saying the better team didn’t come out victorious.

And this was coming from a coach who repeatedly got on her team— following wins— during the regular season.

“I told them that the best team and the hardest working team didn’t win this game tonight,” Staley said. “They didn’t. The team that couldn’t score lost the basketball game … Offensively, we couldn’t get it going.”

And along with Morris and Comfort’s poor performances, the Owls’ complementary players also had severe off nights. Freshman guard Lindsay Kimmel missed seven of her eight three-point attempts, sophomore guard LaKeisha Eaddy missed all six of her shots and sophomore forward Jasmine Stone was just 1-for-5 off the bench.

After the game, a distraught and dejected Morris took full responsibility for the team’s untimely offensive performance.

“We just struggled, I struggled,” she said. “I’m the head of this monster and when I struggle, nothing goes good for this team. Me struggling offensively makes everybody else struggle, so I take full responsibility for that part of the game.”

It wasn’t all Morris’ fault, though.

Comfort was also well-off her game, finishing 2-for-8 from the field and picking up four fouls in just 23 minutes of action. The play of Harris and Phillips, two taller and more athletic players, certainly had something to do that.

“[Harris and Phillips] putting a body on me [caused my struggles], but for the most part, I think I was just trying to force it so much,” Comfort said. “[I] just wanted to make the easy shot and I kind of made it hard for myself. So just missing real easy buckets made it kind of hard.”

But despite the Owls’ offensive woes, they still had a chance to win the game or force overtime in the final minute.

Down by three with 25 seconds to go, Morris had the ball in hand and a play designed for her to tie the game. But while receiving a pass from Comfort, Morris had the ball stolen by Xavier’s junior guard Jerri Tyalor, who then sunk two foul shots to seal the game.

The fact that the Owls’ had a chance to win the game was because of their defense, as Staley’s squad forced 20 Musketeer turnovers and held them to 34 percent shooting.

“Defensively, I’m very proud,” Staley said. “47 points? You hold somebody to 47 points, you’re supposed to end up winning the game. We just couldn’t put the ball in the hole.”

But now, the Owls must wait until Selection Monday to see if they’ll get one of the 33 at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament. Most projections do put the Owls’ in the field, but that still didn’t stop Staley from making a case for her team.

“We’ve done everything the committee wants,” she said. “They want you to play a tough schedule, they want you to beat some Top 25 teams, they want you to play well at the end of the season, they want you to get to your conference championship. We did all of those things, we did all of those things. And probably a little bit more.”

And for Comfort, the senior center just wants one more shot in the Big Dance.

“[We] just want another chance, want another opportunity to play,” she said. “Show everyone else [that] we can win.”

Game Notes

The Owls are now 4-1 in A-10 title games under Staley … Xavier won their second straight A-10 title and received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament … The Temple men’s basketball team was in attendance, sitting behind the Owls bench … Temple will find out officially if they are in the NCAA Tournament on Selection Monday, which will be broadcast March 17 at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

Todd Orodenker can be reached at todd.orodenker@temple.edu

Also read: “Seniors can’t help Owls win A-10 title”

Also view a photo slideshow: “The A-10 Women’s Tournament by Ron Davis” and listen to post-game comments and an audio presentation from Monday night’s game. 

In 2008, Morris and Comfort were at the head of the realm. And although the teammates produced more than they did in 2006, the last time Temple was one of the A-10’s finalists, they didn’t do enough for the same results as that year — a win.
This time around, Xavier outplayed the Owls, winning the 2008 A-10 Championship, 47-42, at Saint Joseph’s Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse Monday night.

The 2006 match-up with George Washington was led by current WNBA stars Candice Dupree and Kamesha Hairston. But the 2008 Owls looked at Morris and Comfort, who combined for only three points — all from Comfort — in 2006, as the leaders of the current squad.

For that reason, Morris was extremely hard on herself after the loss in which she shot 4-for-20 from the field.

“It was a different feeling all season, going from following to leading. It’s a tremendous change,” she said. “I failed as a leader tonight.

“Me struggling offensively makes everyone else struggle, so I take full responsibility for that part of the game,” the guard from Philadelphia added. “I’m the head of this monster, and when I struggle, nothing goes good for this team.”

But Comfort doesn’t want all blame placed on Morris.

“I wouldn’t put it all on her, it’s a team effort,” the 6-foot-4 center said. “We all just needed to step up a little bit more, and it really didn’t happen.”
Comfort managed to grab 11 rebounds, seven of them offensive, and she blocked four shots, but she shot only 2-for-8 and scored just five points.

“I was just trying to force it so much,” Comfort, who turned the ball over four times, said after the game. “I just wanted to make the easy shot, and I made it kind of hard for myself. I just wanted to get [A-10 Championship Most Outstanding Player Ta’Shia Phillips and Amber Harris] out of the game, get them in foul trouble. But I also wanted to get on the scoreboard.”

No matter how poorly Morris played, coach Dawn Staley knows the Owls rely on Morris significantly, and she wouldn’t change that.

“She had a lot of energy, and she didn’t know where to put it,” Staley said. “There were more times than not she was going a little bit too fast on offense. I tried to calm her down a little bit, but sometimes when you get it going and you want something so bad, you go a little bit quicker than what your decision making capabilities are.

“But she got us here. We wouldn’t be here without Ashley. I know she feels bad about the game, but she put us in the position to continue to play.”

NEXT THE MEN WILL TRY

With its first A-10 Tournament game this week, members of the men’s basketball team were in the stands at Saint Joseph’s Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse to watch Staley’s club.

“We just came out to support the girls, because they always come out to support us,” junior Dionte Christmas, the leading scorer in the A-10, said at halftime. “It’s always good when one of your teams makes it to a championship. Hopefully we can be in the same situation they’re in.”

Senior Mark Tyndale talked about how important a women’s victory would be.

“It would give us a little boost going into conference play,” the 6-foot-5 forward said. “And it would help us out dramatically going into the first game.”
Junior guard Semaj Inge agrees.

“Watching them motivates me a little bit more to try to go out there and go hard when we get our chance to go after the Atlantic 10 Championship,” he said.

The men’s first game will be at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City Thursday. The Owls, who finished second in the A-10 standings, will meet the winner of the La Salle-Duquesne game.

“We’re just looking ahead to see who we’re going to play this week, and once we find out, we got to focus and go ahead with our game plan,” Christmas, who was named to the All-Conference first-team, said. “We just want to take one game at a time. Hopefully we can make it to the championship, but we’re taking it one game at a time.”

Tyndale, who made the All-Conference second-team, is looking straight to the finish.

“Our minds are strictly on what we have to face right now,” Tyndale said. “It will be a challenge whoever we play.

“We have one goal, and that’s to win the A-10.”

AMBER, AMBER, AMBER

During the game vs. the Owls, every time sophomore Amber Harris touched the ball, the students sitting in Temple’s “student section” chanted “Amber.”
Two and a half minutes into the second half, Harris turned to the students and waved her arms as if to say “louder.”

“I was telling them to keep doing that,” Harris said while laughing about it after the game. “I like it when crowds do that, because it actually helps me play better.”

THE TROPHY

The A-10 Championship Trophy spent the game sitting on the bleachers behind press row. Coincidentally, it was the same spot in which Staley and the rest of the Owls’ coaches sat during the tournament when Temple wasn’t in action.

Jeff Appelblatt can be reached at the.jeff@temple.edu.

Also read: “REPO” halted

Also view a photo slideshow: “The A-10 Women’s Tournament by Ron Davis” and listen to post-game comments and an audio presentation from Monday night’s game.

Also, listen to post-game comments and an audio presentation from Monday’s game.

What was set to be a big weekend for Temple baseball turned into a big wash out. Three of the Owls’ four games last week were cancelled due to heavy rainfall over Philadelphia.

Temple (3-5) was able to play game one of a scheduled double-header Friday at Skip Wilson Field before the weather turned for the worst.

The floodgates opened early for starter Tom Dolan (0-3) and the Owls who were manhandled by Wagner, 11-3, in a game that started at 11 a.m., the earliest home opener in school history.

The Owls, who were 39-9 in openers since 1960, couldn’t match Wagner’s offensive display of 13 hits, while Seahawks senior pitcher Joe Testa shut Temple down for seven innings, allowing only one run.

“It’s baseball,” coach Rob Valli said. “In a 56-game schedule you can’t just look at one game under the microscope. We played a bad game.”

The Owls committed five errors on the afternoon, which Valli said is hard for any team to stay in the game: “Defensively we never gave ourselves a chance to win.”

Temple was never able to start game two, which was moved from Saturday because of the expected showers. Despite pulling out the tarps, the field was in no condition for action for Sunday’s game versus Hartford.

Earlier in the week, the Owls did pick up their third victory of the season with a win over defending Big East Conference champion Rutgers, 9-5, Wednesday. The Owls rode the bats of senior Mike Kelch and junior Sean Barksdale on route to a season-high 13-hit attack against the Scarlet Knights.

Trailing 5-2 in the seventh inning, the Owls exploded for seven runs including a three-run home run from Kelch. Rutgers sent three pitchers to the mound in the inning but couldn’t stop 10 consecutive Owls from reaching base.

“It was a very good win in so many ways,” Valli said. “We need to show we can play with those teams and Wednesday we did that.”

Barksdale, who has struggled offensively in the early part of the season, added three hits of his own and two runs batted in.
Sophomore Matt Blackburn (1-0) worked one inning in relief for Owls starter Eric Fritz to earn the win.

Junior shortstop Mark Ortega added two hits of his own to raise his team high average to .360.

With the victory, Temple snapped a 15-game losing skid against Rutgers, their last win coming April 14, 1991.

Temple’s non-conference games against Wagner and Hartford will not be made up. The Owls will resume play at Maryland Eastern Shore Tuesday followed by a trip to Delaware State Wednesday before taking on Binghamton Friday at Ambler.

Matt Nadu can be reached at m.nadu@temple.edu.

Also read: “Owls whiff on home opener, lose to Wagner”

Following the Owls’ dismantling of the Flyers Sunday at the Saint Joseph’s Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse, No. 3 Xavier went out and upset No. 2 George Washington, 63-59.

With 6-foot-5 sophomore Amber Harris and 6-foot-6 freshman Ta’Shia Phillips dominating in the middle, George Washington could not keep its premiere bigs on the court in the second half due to foul trouble.

Junior Jessica Adair, who stands 6-foot-4, was limited to 20 minutes, as she picked up her fourth foul less than two minutes into the second stanza. Two minutes later, her twin sister Jazmine, who looks up an inch at her sister, also picked up her fourth.

Even when the taller Adair, who scored 10 points on 2-of-8 shooting, convinced coach Joe McKeown into leaving her on the court, her consistent foul trouble hurt her defensive prowess.

“Having four fouls is tough,” she said. “But I didn’t want to get out of the game, so [on defense], I had to play off a little.”

It was apparent that McKeown was unhappy with the fouls called on his center, but he was reluctant to say much.

“I’ve got to coach two weeks from now, so I’m going to be careful what I say. I need to show up for those games” he said, predicting that his Colonials will be participating in NCAA Tournament play. “It’s difficult being in foul trouble the whole game against a team with Xavier’s front line.”

McKeown also refused to give Xavier too much credit.

“I congratulate Xavier, they played a great second half,” McKeown said. “They didn’t play a great game, but they played a great second half.”

But the only thing Xavier cares to be given credit for is a victory.

“We really wanted this win, so we decided to just buckle down and just play hard defense and talk and just do all the stuff that we need to do to pull out the win,” Phillips said. “I just went out and did what coach asked me to do, which is play hard the entire time, talk with the teammates, work as a team, get some rest, [and I] just did everything that needs to be done for a big game like this.”

Harris summed up the game in six words: “We pulled out a great win,” she said.

The same way the Muskateers avenged a 56-46 loss at the hands of George Washington on Jan. 13, Xavier realizes that Temple will be looking to retaliate against them Sunday in the championship game at 5 p.m.

“We’re not going to take anything lightly. [Temple’s] going to come out hard and ready to play,” Harris said. “We’re going to try to match their intensity and just go out there and try to get another win.”

“Temple’s had a terrific season,” Xavier coach Kevin McGuff added. “They’re talented, athletic and extremely well coached, so I think it’s going to be a great match-up, and a very difficult one for us.

“They’re a great defensive team, they really rebound the ball, [and] they play aggressively. We’re going to have to find ways to score and keep them off the glass.”

Owls coach Dawn Staley remembers the 64-55 loss at the Cintas Center on Feb. 9 well.

Before departing the Fieldhouse, Staley said, “We have the opportunity to avenge both of our losses.”

Jeff Appelblatt can be reached at the.jeff@temple.edu.

Also read: “Owls back in A-10 title game” and “Moore watches as Owls try to repossess Atlantic Ten title”

Behind four three-pointers from freshman guard Lindsay Kimmel and 14 points from senior guard Ashley Morris, the Owls defeated Dayton, 56-51, to advance to the Atlantic Ten Conference Championship game.

Senior center Lady Comfort added a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds and junior forward Shenita Landry came off the bench with nine points and five rebounds. The Owls also pulled down 14 offensive rebounds as a team in their semi-final win over the Flyers.

The Owls advanced to their seventh A-10 title game in program history and their fourth in the past five years. But for coach Dawn Staley, this year was a little different. Due to having a young team and a lot of inexperience, her past accomplishments really didn’t factor into her expectations for this season. So having a loose team that’s always joking around and having a good time only helped things.

“We didn’t know exactly what type of team we had,” Staley said. “Of course, you want the goal of being here and being able to compete for an [A-10] championship…But this was actually a fun year. Fun, frustrating, you can never take this team too, too seriously. They’ll say anything that would make you laugh in the middle of a game. They’ve done that on a number of occasions, even today.”

One of the leaders of all that joking around is Morris, but her mindset had already shifted to tomorrow’s game. Even though she is playing in the third A-10 title game of her career, the 5′5 guard didn’t look back on the past or try and focus on the program’s accomplishments when assessing this year’s squad.

“We’re just going to come out and play,” the Owls co-captain said. “Whatever team wins [the George Washington/Xavier game], we’re going to be ready to play for 40 minutes.”

The game itself was a back-and-forth affair for the first 26 minutes, with the teams answering each other basket-for-basket. Neither team held a lead larger than six, as the score was an even 28-28 at halftime.

But mid-way through the second half, Kimmel struck. The Binghamton, N.Y. product nailed back-to-back three’s to help propel the Owls go to a 14-5 run that lasted over eight minutes. Playing her best game since Jan. 19 against George Washington, Kimmel began the game by nailing a trey from the left wing might, which may have helped her have this kind of day.

“Confidence wise, when I hit the first [three], it helps,” Kimmel said. “But I know mentally I’m going to miss a few down the stretch, it happens. But I just keep positive, coach always tells me ‘don’t worry about the last shot, worry about the next one.’”

However, the Owls almost had a monumental collapse.

Leading by 13 with 3:41 to play, the Flyers struck for a 9-0 run to cut the lead to four with under a minute to play. But the Owls never wavered, coming up with a big stop when they really needed it, which put an end to Dayton’s miracle comeback attempt.

“I wasn’t worried at all,” Morris said. “This is what we do. We play in games like this and we hold people off. We’ve become that way, in the past, we couldn’t [hold the lead]. But now, we’re built like that.”

The Owls will play Xavier Monday at 5 p.m in the A-10 championship. The Musketeers downed George Washington 63-59, in the other semi-final game to advance to their second straight A-10 title game. The Owls can secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a win, but even if they lose, most projections still put them into the Big Dance.

Just don’t tell that to Staley.

“I think we were really fortunate last year to get an at-large bid,” she said. “And it’s tough, it’s tough. Like the [South Eastern Conference] and the [Atlantic Coast Conference], they get it-six, five [at-large bids].”

Game Notes

Tomorrow’s game will be televised nationally on ESPN2…Junior forward Shanea Cotton had three fouls-all offensive…Sophomore guard LaKeisha Eaddy shot just 2-13 from the field…Freshman forward Marli Bennett only made an one minute appearance, and when coming into the game, she delayed the pace a bit by not knowing what to do with her warm-up gear, before finally giving it to the exiting Kimmel.

Todd Orodenker can be reached at todd.orodenker@temple.edu.

Also read: “Moore watches as Owls try to repossess Atlantic Ten title” and “Xavier to meet Owls in A-10 finals”

Before graduating in 2005, Ari Moore had the opportunity to experience two Atlantic Ten Conference championships in 2002 and 2004.

Though she’s been done with classes at Temple, she is frequently back on campus or with the women’s basketball team during road games.

Moore was in attendance Sunday at Saint Joseph’s Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse, when the No. 1-seeded Owls knocked off No. 5 Dayton, 56-51 in the A-10 Tournament semifinals.

“It’s definitely a different perspective [for me],” Moore said while standing in the bleachers after Temple’s win, holding her son, Madden, who will be two-years-old at the end of the month. “But it’s still exciting, and I’m just happy I’m able to be a part of it in some form or fashion.”

As for what Moore is doing when she’s not in the crowd for Temple games, there are a few primary things.

“I’ve been raising my son,” and going to New York Knicks games to support her fiancée Mardy Collins, a 2006 Temple graduate, Moore said. The couple plans to get married in the summer of 2009.

“We live in New York, and we come to Philly for the off-season,” she said.

The players, particularly the seniors, appreciate seeing the faces of former players.

“Ari Moore comes to practice with us, [and] plays with us in the summertime,” senior guard Ashley Morris said after the victory. “She’s very supportive, and it’s good to have somebody like that behind you that’s been through it and dealt with the same things you did and has won A-10 championships, so she gives us a lot being out there.

Morris said 2006 graduate Khadija Bowens and 2005 graduates Jennifer Owens and Cynthia Jordan, who is now a graduate assistant on the team, are often in attendance at Owls games as well.

“We have a real support system behind us,” Morris said.

Moore said she definitely still feels like she’s on the team.

“It’s kind of like I’m still alive because this is actually my last class I played with,” she said about the team’s current seniors, Morris, Lady Comfort, Nicole Pittman and Candice Borrows.

“It’s kind of like I’m still part of it because my legacy lives on through them. Our team’s [legacy] I guess …We all kind of live it through them,” Moore said, referring to herself and other members of the 2005 Owls squad including Jordan and Candice Dupree, a 2005 graduate and current member of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky.

REPO SHIRTS

Over the course of the A-10 Tournament, the women’s basketball team has flaunted shirts reading, “REPO”.

The explanation is simple. The four letters stand for repossession of the A-10 trophy.

“Every year we wear a long-sleeve T-shirt to our tournament,” Temple coach Dawn Staley explained, referring back to last year’s “Owls don’t sleep, we rest one eye up” shirts. “We just have fun with it. We have a brainstorming competition to see who could come up with a good concept.”

Mary [Wooley], our director of basketball operations, came up with [REPO], and then we got a banner with it,” Staley said. “We feel like if we don’t instill confidence in ourselves, or have somebody else to do it, we’ll never get it.

“It’s our concept of motivating ourselves, keeping ourselves at a high level.”

But when Staley and her coaching staff sat in the stands to watch the Xavier-George Washington game, they had changed to shirts that read, “History repeats itself,” with A-10 banners from 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2006 running down the sleeves.

KIMMEL’S KANDIES

Following the win, Morris revealed freshman guard Lindsey Kimmel’s unique ritual heading before game time.

“I asked Lindsey before the game ‘was she ready?’” Morris said. “She said, ‘one more candy bar and I’ll be ready, Ash,’ so I knew Lindsey was going to come out and have a great game.”

What kind of candy prepared Kimmel for nailing 4-of-7 treys?

“I love Starburst, but one of the girls on the team had a bunch of candy bars in a bag,” Kimmel said. “I was eating Hershey’s [before this game]. I always have a ton of candy before the game[s].”

SCOREBOARD MALFUNCTION

Also in the game, the day after the leak in the roof delayed the schedule, the Fieldhouse’s scoreboards couldn’t go without having at least one problem.

The large scoreboard over the middle of the court and the ones off to the sides of the arena, as well as the shot clocks on each basket turned off just over four minutes into the game. They went back on during a timeout, turned off again for about 10 seconds, and then remained on.

There were no further problems.

Jeff Appelblatt can be reached at the.jeff@temple.edu.

Also read: “Owls back in A-10 title game” and “Xavier to meet Owls in A-10 finale”