DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA — After the buzzer sounded following Temple’s first round NCAA tournament game, senior guard Feyonda Fitzgerald crouched down on the court at Cameron Indoor Stadium, overcome with emotion as she tried to hold back tears.
The Owls had just lost 71-70 to the University of Oregon. The team’s season ended with Fitzgerald’s last-second layup attempt getting blocked at the buzzer.
Fitzgerald and her fellow seniors — center Safiya Martin and forwards Ruth Sherrill and Monasia Bolduc — played in Temple’s first NCAA tournament game since 2011, but couldn’t have another deep postseason run after reaching the quarterfinals of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament in 2016 and the semifinals in 2015.