PHILADELPHIA (Interstat) — Propelled by a dominant first-quarter offensive explosion and a standout performance from Kanija Daniel, the Tulane Green Wave snapped a two-game skid and evened the season series with a decisive 71-58 victory over the Temple Owls in an American Athletic Conference women’s basketball game Tuesday night at Liacouras Center.

The most critical phase of the contest was its opening minutes, where Tulane established a commanding lead that Temple could never seriously threaten. The Green Wave raced out to a 24-point first quarter, connecting on a flurry of early shots while stifling the Owls’ offense. This early surge, which saw Tulane build a lead as large as nine points in the period, provided a cushion that proved insurmountable for a Temple team that struggled with efficiency all evening.

Tulane’s offensive execution in the first 10 minutes set the tone. After Temple’s Jaleesa Molina opened the scoring with two free throws, the Green Wave responded with a 9-0 run. Kendall Sneed drained a 3-pointer, Kanija Daniel converted a layup, and Mecailin Marshall hit a jumper to force an early Temple timeout. The Owls briefly closed the gap, but Tulane finished the quarter strong with Marshall hitting two more 3-pointers in the final 90 seconds to secure a 24-15 advantage.

The remainder of the game saw Temple consistently fighting uphill. The Owls cut the deficit to four points on several occasions in the second and third quarters, but each time Tulane had an answer. A key sequence came late in the third quarter when, leading by just five, the Green Wave forced consecutive turnovers and got a pull-up jumper from Daniel to push the lead back to nine and blunt Temple’s momentum for good.

Daniel, a guard from Carrollton, Georgia, led all Tulane scorers with 19 points, adding two blocks in 35 minutes. Marshall, from Abernathy, Texas, contributed 17 points, including three 3-pointers. Shiloh Kimpson provided crucial bench scoring with 11 points, and Sneed directed the offense with a game-high seven assists.

For Temple, the offensive burden fell heavily on Jaleesa Molina. The junior from the Netherlands scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed a team-best eight rebounds, but received limited support. Saniyah Craig added 10 points, and Drew Alexander finished with 11, but the Owls shot just 32.1% from the field and 21.7% from beyond the arc as a team.

Tulane’s defense was a defining factor, holding Temple to an offensive rating of 83.5 points per 100 possessions. The Green Wave also won the battle at the free-throw line, making 15 of 20 attempts compared to Temple’s 17 of 22. Despite committing 15 turnovers, Tulane’s superior shooting—44.4% from the field and 38.1% from deep—and their early-game poise carried the day.

The victory improved Tulane’s record to 7-10 overall. The Green Wave, who had lost close games to North Texas and Tulsa in their previous two outings, will look to build on this road win when they host UAB on Saturday.

Temple, which had won two of its last three, fell to 7-9. The Owls, who were projected as heavy favorites by advanced metrics pregame, will aim to regroup on the road at East Carolina this Saturday.

The teams will meet again in New Orleans on Jan. 31.