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 Ta'Shia Phillips, Xavier |
March 9, 2008
PHILADELPHIA, Pa.
2008 A-10 Women's Basketball Championship - Semifinal Round - March 9
(1) Temple 56 (5) Dayton 51
Led by senior Ashley Morris, who scored a team-high 14 points, top-seeded Temple defeated fifth-seeded Dayton in A-10 Women's Basketball Semifinal action, 56-51.
Dayton (25-8), seeking its second straight upset of the Championship, stayed with Temple (21-11) early and matched the Owls point-for-point before leaving the floor at halftime with the score knotted, 28-28.
After slowly pulling away in the second half, the Owls were able to survive an 8-2 Flyer run to close out the game and secure their spot in Monday's final. Temple benefited from the long-range shooting of freshman Lindsay Kimmel, who scored 9 of her 12 points in the second half and finished the game four-for-eight from beyond the arc.
Temple's Morris led the Owls in scoring, grabbed six boards and handed out a team-high seven assists. Senior Lady Comfort added 10 points and snared a game-high 11 boards.
The Flyers were led by senior Kiki Lund's 10 points, which resulted from a four-for-seven shooting performance from the field. Senior Nikki Oakland finished with six points and six boards in the loss.
Competing in their eighth straight A-10 Semifinal, the Owls' advance to the Conference championship game, where they will attempt to capture their fifth title in eight years against third-seeded Xavier.
(3) Xavier 63 (2) George Washington 59
A baseline runner from Special Jennings proved to be the difference as third-seeded Xavier upset second-seeded George Washington, 63-59.
George Washington (25-6) had the upper hand at the half, 30-24, but it was Xavier's (23-8) freshman center Ta'Shia Phillips dominating performance that lifted the Musketeers over the talented Colonials. Phillips hit seven-for-12 from the floor for a game-high 22 points. Phillips got it done from the line as well, knocking down eight-of-11 foul shots in addition to grabbing a team-high nine rebounds.
Xavier, the reining Atlantic 10 Champions, received another quality showing from sophomore Amber Harris, whose 15 points and eight rebounds complemented teammate Phillips in the paint.
In addition to nailing the game-deciding shot, which was capped with a free throw that put the Musketeers' up three points with 23 seconds to play, Xavier freshman Jennings recorded team high seven assists.
Three Colonials reached double figures, highlighted by Whitney Allen's four-for-four, 10-point performance. Allen also recorded a game-high 12 rebounds in the loss.
With the win, the Musketeers will look to add a fifth A-10 Championship to their history as they take on top-seeded Temple at the Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse on the campus of Saint Joseph's University at 5:00pm (ET).
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