Atlantic 10 Quarter-Finals: Temple, Dayton, George Washington and Xavier Advance

By James Greenspan: SPM Staff Writer
Posted Sunday, March 9, 2008

#1 Temple Washes Away #8 Richmond’s upset bid

PHILADELPHIA - In a game that was delayed 90 minutes by a leaky roof at the Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse, the #1-seeded Temple Owls held on in the second half to beat the Richmond Spiders 70-62 in a game that was much closer than the final score indicated.

The game was no contest in the first half as Temple jumped out to the commanding lead of 21-6 at the 10:00 mark. First team all A-10 performer Ashley Morris was the fastest player on the court, scoring 11 points mostly from the free-throw line. She hit 8-for-10 from the line in the first half alone as the Spiders struggled to defend against her quickness. Temple led 36-21 at the half and threatened to blow the upset- minded Spiders right out of the gym. Richmond was noticeably frustrated in the first half, leading to a technical foul on sophomore Katie Holzer.

The game, however, would be a tale of two halves. Richmond coach Michael Shafer made several key adjustments to the game plan, including switching to zone defense in the second which gave the Owls trouble and slowed down their fast-break-oriented guards.

Offensively the Spiders came alive, shooting 6-16 (.375) from three-point range, and within the first five minutes of the second half cut the Owls' lead from 15 to 10.

Led by A-10 All-Rookie Team performer Brittani Shells, the Spiders continued to storm back, at one point going on a 13-4 run and cutting the lead to a single point. With 6:57 left the Spiders' Nikita Thomas had a free-throw attempt to tie the game at 53, but she missed it and the Spiders were never able to draw even.

The Owls' Lady Comfort and Shanea Cotton both chipped in 10 points from their post positions to help the Owls hold off the Spiders as each had scoring contributions late in the game.

#1 Temple will next take on the Dayton Flyers today at 12:00pm in the first A-10 Tournament Semifinal match up at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse.

#5 Dayton Blows Out #4 Charlotte

Seeking revenge for a January loss, the Flyers jumped all over the Charlotte 49ers, winning by a final margin of 24 points, 77-53. The Flyers used the long ball, going 11-21(.524) from three-point range in the game, to ensure that the 49ers never had a chance.

Led by senior Karah Cloxton’s career-high 20-point effort, Dayton had four players in double figures and after trailing early stormed back and led by eight points at the half. The Dayton defense also kept the 49ers in check, holding them to only 2-of-16 (.125) from behind the arc and keeping all three of Charlotte's top scorers below their point averages for the season.

For Charlotte it was clearly a frustrating game. Their offense was never able to get on track. Even a 10-point effort off the bench from Aysha Jones wasn't enough to take the 49ers within sniffing distance of a lead in the second half.

Nikki Oakland, who scored 13 and grabbed 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the tournament was elated.

"We’re pumped.… this is our goal right here. We’re going to continue to play hard and play as a team … I couldn’t be happier right now.”

The high-flying Dayton squad takes on the talented and dangerous #1 seed Temple Owls in today’s first of two semifinal matches.

#2(12) George Washington Rolls Over #10 Rhode Island

The George Washington Colonials showed why they are nationally ranked and the powerhouse of the Atlantic Ten Conference today when they rolled over the Rhode Island Rams. URI came out strong and was able to keep the score close for the first few minutes, even leading 12-11 with 14:32 remaining in the first half. But then the Colonials exploded for a 25-5 run, ending the half up 36-17.

The second half was no contest; URI was unable to make a dent in GW's lead and the Colonials coasted down the stretch to take the game 70-43. GW shot 24-55 (.436) from the field and forced 23 Ram turnovers on their way to victory.

The Colonials had four players in double figures, led by First Team All A-10 Conference forward Jessica Adair with 12. This Year’s A-10 Most Outstanding Player, Senior Kimberly Beck, had 11 points, six assists and five steals -- showing exactly why she earned league recognition.

For the Rams, Amanda McGrew led the way with nine points while LaQuanda Brandon chipped in with seven off the bench. It was a tough end to a disappointing season for URI. They finished 13-18 (5-10).

GW takes on the winner of today’s last A-10 quarterfinal between #3 Xavier and #6 St. Joe’s.

#3 Xavier Runs Away From #6 St. Joe’s

In today’s final A-10 tourney quarterfinal matchup the Xavier Musketeers knocked off host team St. Joe’s, 74-52. Xavier used its balanced scoring attack and stellar shooting to jump out to -- and then hold -- a double-digit lead for nearly the entire game.

Four players scored in double figures for the Musketeers, led by First Team All A-10 forward Amber Harris with 13 points. She also grabbed 11 rebounds and with six assists was only four dimes short of a triple-double. Freshman phenom Ta’Shia Phillips scored 12 points and pulled down five rebounds in only 16 minutes. Xavier shot an astounding 50 percent from the field and hit 6-of-15 (.400) from downtown.

The Hawks could not score on the taller and more physical Musketeers. St. Joe's shot just 27 percent from the field and hit only 4-of-18 from three-point range, and their poor shooting was their downfall. No player scored in double-figures for the Hawks; Jenna Loschiavo led her team's scoring with nine points and Amy Gillespie chipped in eight off the bench, but the Hawks were forced to take bad shots throughout most of the game by the smothering Musketeers defense.

Xavier moves on to face #2-seed George Washington in the second of tomorrow’s semi-final matchups. The game is scheduled for tip at 2:30pm.