Temple hands Lady Rangers' loss in NTJCAC opener

The Temple College Lady Leopards used a 23-11 run in the second quarter to erase a fast start by Ranger College and race to a 80-65 victory in the Northern Texas Junior College Athletic Conference opener for both squads on Wednesday, January 8, in the Ron Butler Gym.

With the loss, Ranger College slipped to 3-10 for the year and 0-1 in conference. Temple College moved to 11-4 and 1-0.

Ranger College head coach Mark Morefield said the difference in the game was Temple's ability to grab offensive boards.

"(It's the) second game in a row where we came out with a strong start, and the fifth game this season where the opponent's offensive rebounding hurt us and allowed the separation they needed," he said.

Aisha Martin powered the Lady Rangers to an impressive start. She pumped in 11 of Ranger College's first 15 points and helped RC race to an early 15-4 lead.

Unfortunately for the Lady Rangers, Temple found their offense in the final minutes of the first quarter. They turned in a 15-4 run in the closing minutes and eked out a 19-17 lead at the start of the second period of play.

The Lady Leopards continued to roll in the second. Their 23-11 run sent Temple into the half with a 42-28 cushion.

Ranger College, which also garnered a double-digit performance from Anastasijia Cernove, fought its way back to within eight late in the third. The Lady Rangers scored 22 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half.

Temple salted away the win with an 18-15 spree in the fourth.

Martin led all RC scorers with a game-high 23 points. Overall, she hit on 10 of her 17 attempts from th field.

Cernova closed out the game with 11.

Saylor Upshaw also played well for RC. She chalked up eight points and five rebounds.