Jan. 13, 2013

A-10 WBB NOTEBOOK | STANDINGS | STATISTICS

WHAT’S ON TAP FOR SUNDAY (1/13)

*Temple at St. Bonaventure | 1:00PM

*Duquesne at Xavier | 2:00PM | XU Game Preview

*Fordham at Charlotte | CBS Sports Network | 2:00PM | Coach Consuegra Interview

*denotes A-10 Conference game

A-10 SCOOP
- Charlotte will open its eighth and final season of Atlantic 10 action at 2 p.m. today when it plays host to Fordham inside Halton Arena. The contest features a nationally-televised audience and a regionally-based radio broadcast.

- The Niners will be making their 14th national TV appearance since joining the league when CBS Sports Network comes to town to kick off the annual Atlantic 10 TV schedule. John Sadak will handle play-by-play duties with Julianne Viani serving as the color analyst.

- Fordham is off to its best start in recent years. The Rams are 10-5, including a 4-3 away mark, after winning their last three contests. They are coming off a 67-60 triumph over Holy Cross last Sunday and collected a 71-50 victory at American Jan. 4 in their last road tilt.

- Xavier is set to kick off the 2013 Atlantic 10 schedule against Duquesne this afternoon. Tip-off between the Musketeers and Dukes is set for 2 p.m. at XU's Cintas Center.

- The Musketeers are led by senior Amber Gray with 10.1 ppg. and junior Shatyra Hawkes with 10.0 ppg. Gray makes 35.7 percent of her shots from long range and boasts a .754 free throw percentage (9th A-10) while Hawkes leads the team with 3.8 apg. (9th A-10). Senior Jessica Pachko sinks 50 percent of her field goals while junior Ashley Wanninger averages 2.1 3-point baskets per contest (t-4th A-10).

- Duquesne (11-3) is currently suffering a two-game losing skid, including its 54-49 loss to Miami (Ohio) at home on Jan. 5. DUQ's Wumi Agunbiade led the team with a game-high 17 points to go with eight rebounds in the loss. As a team, the Dukes rank first in the Atlantic 10 in scoring defense (50.7), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.232), steals (13.6) and turnover margin (+7.4).

- The final Atlantic 10 season for Temple begins today at defending regular season champ St. Bonaventure. Tip-off is at 1:00 p.m. as the Owls (6-8) look to get fifth-year head coach Tonya Cardoza her 100th career win. The Bonnies (7-8) handed Temple its only conference loss last season on their way to a 31-4 record and an appearance in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.

- Fifth-year head coach Tonya Cardoza is going for win number 100 at St. Bonaventure. She has a career record of 99-46.

- After a six-game road swing over 36 total days, the Owls finally returned home and broke a six-game losing streak with a 68-41 win vs. Western Michigan on Jan. 7.

- St. Bonaventure is 4-8 in Atlantic 10 conference openers under head coach Jim Crowley. The Bonnies are also 5-7 in A-10 home openers under Crowley. The Brown and White are looking for their fifth straight A-10 home opener victory. They defeated Duquesne 61-53 in their A-10 opener last season in the Reilly Center.

SATURDAY’S (1/12) RESULTS
La Salle 72, Rhode Island 46
La Salle used a 15-0 run in the second half to break a 35-35 tie and cruise to a 72-46 victory over visiting Rhode Island on Saturday afternoon in the Atlantic 10 opener for both teams. Michea Bryant 10 unanswered points in 48 seconds in that decisive span and finished the day with 11 points. Brittany Wilson led all scorers with 17 points and recorded the double-double with a game-high 10 rebounds.

Massachusetts 62, George Washington 58
UMass women’s basketball used a stout defensive performance to secure a 62-58 victory over George Washington to open A-10 Conference play at the Mullins Center on Saturday afternoon. Redshirt-junior Carolann Cloutier led four Minutewomen in double-figures with a season-high 13 points. Sophomore guard Emily Mital added 11 while senior center Jasmine Watson and sophomore forward Aisha Rodney each chipped in 10. UMass won the battle in the paint, 26-22 while recording a 16-15 advantage in points in the paint. Second change scoring favored the Colonials, 18-10 while the UMass bench recorded 13 points to 11 for the George Washington reserves.

Saint Joseph’s 82, Richmond 62
Behind a 32-9 run that spanned both halves, the Saint Joseph’s women’s basketball team opened Atlantic 10 play with an 82-62 victory over Richmond Saturday afternoon at Hagan Arena. The Hawks got 24 points from redshirt senior forward Chatilla van Grinsven and 21 points from junior guard Erin Shields as they improved to 10-5 overall.

#22/17 Dayton 82, Butler 39
Nationally-ranked Dayton broke the game open midway through the first half to defeat the Butler women's basketball team 82-39 at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday. Junior Daress McClung led Butler with 11 points, eight rebounds and five steals. Sophomore Liz Stratman also totaled 11 points before fouling out in the game's final minute. The 39 points is the lowest the Flyers have allowed an opponent this season. The UD defense also held the Bulldogs without a three-point field goal (BU was 0-for-14 from behind the arc). It is the first time UD has done that since Dec., 5, 2007 in a 67-59 win over Indiana.

Saint Louis 60, VCU 46
Lorreal Jones recorded her first double-double of the season, and Saint Louis held VCU to its lowest shooting percentage of the year in a 60-46 victory over the Rams in the Atlantic 10 Conference opener Saturday night at Chaifetz Arena. The win was the first for the Billikens (7-9, 1-0 A-10) in a conference opener since the 2007-08 season.