PHILADELPHIA (Interstat) — In a contest defined more by defensive pressure and offensive inefficiency than fluid scoring, the Temple women’s basketball team methodically dispatched visiting Coppin State 59-39 in a non-conference game Friday night at Liacouras Center.

The Owls, improving to 6-5, never trailed but struggled to fully shake the Eagles until a decisive third-quarter push. Coppin State, which fell to 2-11, was undone by historically poor shooting, failing to connect on any of its 17 attempts from three-point range and shooting just 23.7 percent overall from the field.

The game’s most pivotal sequence arrived late in the third quarter, with Temple leading 34-30. Coppin State’s Patricia Sosa Lora converted an offensive rebound to cut the deficit to two points with 1:31 remaining in the period. What followed was a devastating 11-0 Temple run that spanned the final 90 seconds of the third and the opening possession of the fourth, effectively sealing the outcome. The surge was ignited by freshman guard Drew Alexander, who buried consecutive three-pointers. The first came off an assist from Brianna Mead with 1:16 left, and the second, assisted by Jaleesa Molina, beat the third-quarter buzzer from well beyond the arc. Molina then opened the fourth quarter with a mid-range jumper, extending the Temple lead to 45-32 and sapping the Eagles’ resistance.

Alexander, a guard from Durham, North Carolina, led all scorers with 12 points, all coming from beyond the arc. She was emblematic of a Temple offense that, while far from crisp, found enough timely production. Molina, a forward from the Netherlands, posted a double-double with 10 points and a game-high three assists, while also anchoring the defense with a block and multiple steals. Guard Kelian Cedano of Boston added 12 points, and fellow guard Kaylah Turner of Jacksonville, Florida, chipped in 11.

For Coppin State, the offensive woes were comprehensive. Beyond the catastrophic three-point shooting, the Eagles committed 29 turnovers, which Temple converted into 20 points. The Eagles’ offensive rating of 46.7 points per 100 possessions underscored a night of constant frustration. Sosa Lora, a forward from the Dominican Republic, was a rare bright spot, battling inside for a team-high 12 points and 11 rebounds. Guard Erin Henry of Joliet, Illinois, added 7 points.

The game began at a glacial offensive pace. Temple led 15-8 after a first quarter that saw both teams combine for 15 turnovers. The Eagles managed only five points in the second quarter, and despite Temple’s own struggles, the Owls built a 26-13 halftime advantage. Coppin State showed brief life with a 13-point third quarter, but the Owls answered with 19 points of their own, capped by Alexander’s critical flurry, to take a 45-26 lead into the final period.

Defensive activity was a constant, with Temple recording 13 steals and Coppin State 12. Both teams surpassed 25 turnovers, leading to a disjointed, physical game witnessed by 1,377 fans. Temple finished shooting 38.6 percent from the field and just 9 of 18 from the free-throw line, but their 6-for-21 performance from three-point range proved sufficient against Coppin State’s anemic attack.

The Owls next travel to face Princeton on Monday. Coppin State, continuing a difficult road stretch, faces Georgia in Richmond, Virginia, on Sunday.