March 7, 2010

2010 Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship

CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET

Semifinal No. 1 - Xavier 51, Charlotte 49

Box Score |  Photo Gallery | Postgame Interview - Xavier  | Postgame Interview - Charlotte

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. - In a defensive battle in which neither team shot well, top-seeded Xavier held on to defeat fourth-seeded Charlotte, 51-49, in the first semifinal of the Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship in The ShowPlace Arena.

The teams went into halftime tied at 21 apiece before Xavier started the second half on a quick 8-0 run to gain momentum. Charlotte fought back and eventually took a 40-38 lead with six minutes to play but Xavier put together another run (7-0) to surge ahead for good.

The Musketeers held off Charlotte for the rest of the way to advance to Monday's final, where they will meet either Dayton or Temple, who square off in the second semifinal. The Championship game will be televised on ESPN2 at 5:00 pm.

"It was a little bit ugly today, but I'm fine with that," said Xavier head coach Kevin McGuff. "If we defend and rebound as hard as we did today, we'll be successful."

Tyeasha Moss led Xavier with 15 points and six rebounds, while Aysha Jones paced the 49ers with 18 points and six boards.

Semifinal No. 2 - Temple 67, Dayton 64 (OT)

Box Score |  Photo Gallery | Postgame Interview - Temple  | Postgame Interview - Dayton

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. - Sophomore first-team All-Conference member Kristen McCarthy and junior Marli Bennett each scored 14 points and freshman Natasha Thames hit the go-ahead bucket late in overtime to help lift third-seeded Temple to an upset win over second-seeded Dayton 67-64 in the second semifinal of the Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship at The ShowPlace Arena.

The Owls led by as many as 10 points in the second half before Dayton began to claw back. The Flyers' Justine Raterman hit a jumper from just beyond the foul line with five seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 57 and send it into overtime.

Dayton jumped out to a five-point cushion in the extra session but couldn't hold on to the lead, and Temple went ahead by one when Thames hit a short jump shot in the lane with 42 seconds left. Dayton couldn't convert on their next possession and had to foul Temple guard LaKeisha Eaddy after she came up with the rebound. Eaddy knocked down both free throws to put the Owls up 67-64, and Dayton was unable to get a shot off in the final seconds.

"We got down in overtime, and I love the way our team responded," said Temple head coach Tonya Cardoza. "We got some big stops and big offensive rebounds when we really needed them."

Temple now faces top-seeded Xavier in Monday's Championship game, which will be televised on ESPN2 at 5:00 p.m. Xavier won the only meeting between the two teams this year, knocking off the Owls 82-69 on January 10 in Cincinnati.

Raterman poured in 19 points for Dayton and was its leading scorer in a game which featured five ties and eight lead changes.

It also marks the first time in Atlantic 10 Women's Championship history that three tournament games have gone into overtime.