March 8, 2008

PHILADELPHIA, Pa.
2008 A-10 Women's Basketball Championship - Quarterfinal Round - March 8

Quarterfinal Quotes

(1) Temple 70 (8) Richmond 62

After the start of the first game of the quarterfinal round of the 2008 Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship was delayed due to a leak in the roof of Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse, top-seeded Temple held off eighth-seeded Richmond, 70-62.

Led by junior Shanea Cotton, Temple (20-11) set an early tone and jumped out to a 21-6 lead over Richmond (14-17) midway through the first half. Richmond responded with a small run which cut the lead down to 36-21 at the close of the half.

The Spiders continued to chip away at the large lead, narrowing the score to 53-52 with 6:40 to play, but it was the relentless offensive attack of Temple's Ashley Morris that ultimately outlasted Richmond. Morris scored a team-high 19 points, much of which from the line where she hit 12-of-16 foul shots.

Temple's Cotton recorded her second double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 boards, while senior center Lady Comfort added 10 points and brought down eight rebounds.

Richmond was led by freshman guard Brittani Shells, who kept the Spiders close with 18 points on five-of-16 shooting.

With the win, Temple moves on to a semifinal match against fifth-seeded Dayton.

(5) Dayton 77 (4) Charlotte 53

Led by senior guard Karah Cloxton's career high 20 points, number five-seeded Dayton put away fourth-seeded Charlotte, 77-53.

Charlotte, still winless in Atlantic 10 postseason play, controlled the game during the early going to command an eight point lead. The lead, however, wouldn't last as Dayton senior forward Nikki Oakland's nine points and nine rebounds in the first half quickly erased the deficit and pushed the Flyers ahead, 35-27.

The second half belonged to Cloxton, who shouldered the bulk of Dayton's scoring, finishing with a 6-for-11 shooting performance, as well as a perfect four-for-four from the line.

The Flyers were in a groove from beyond the arc, ending the game 11-for-21, highlighted by senior Kiki Lund and Cloxton each connecting for four three-point field goals. The team also shot 52.4% from the floor, compared to Charlotte's 32.8%.

Dayton's Oakland corralled a team-high 12 rebounds, which tied her season-high and was just one shy of her career-high. She also scored 13 points, which marked the 25th time this season she has reached double-figures in points.

With the win, Dayton advances to the semifinals for a meeting with top-seeded Temple.

(2) George Washington 70 (10) Rhode Island 43

Six George Washington players scored at least eight points as the second-seeded and 13th-ranked Colonials dispatched of 10th-seeded Rhode Island, 70-43.

George Washington (25-5) was in control from the onset, pressuring on both sides of the floor which resulted in nine first half steals, three of which came at the hands of A-10 Player of the Year Kimberly Beck. The Colonials trailed only once and doubled up Rhode Island (13-18) before heading to the locker room with a 36-17 advantage.

GW benefited from its ability to spread the ball, rotating its attack to whoever had the hot hand. Seniors Sarah-Jo Lawrence and Whitney Allen each scored 10 points, while junior Jessica Adair led the way for the Colonials with 12. Junior Antelia Parrish chipped in eight points, as did junior Jazmine Adair. Beck finished with 11 points on three-of-six shooting, while leading the team with five steals and six assists in the win.

Rhode Island was paced by junior Amanda McGrew, who tallied nine points on three-of-six shooting.

George Washington, with the win, advances to the semifinals for a meeting with the third-seeded Xavier.

(3) Xavier 74 (6) Saint Joseph's 52

Led by the youth of Ta'Shia Phillips and Amber Harris, Xavier set the tempo from the tip and shot an impressive 32-for-64 en route to a 74-52 quarterfinals win against sixth-seeded Saint Joseph's.

The Musketeers (22-8) scored the contest's first basket and never looked back. Using size and speed to outscore Saint Joseph's (17-14) 48-18 in the paint, Xavier was able to maintain a commanding lead for the entire game. By tying their season-high total in the category, the Musketeers are now 14-1 when scoring 30 or more and 15-0 when outscoring an opponent by at least ten underneath.

Harris recorded a career high six assists, leading Xavier with 13 points and 11 rebounds for her 14th double-double of the season, which ranks second in the Conference. Phillips, the A-10 Rookie of the Year, netted 6-of-9 for 12 points, while teammate Jerri Taylor added 11 points in addition to handing out five assists.

Saint Joseph's was led by junior Jenna Loschiavo, who hit all six free throw attempts and finished with a team-leading nine points.

With the victory, Xavier moves on to the semifinals' meeting with second-seeded George Washington at the Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse on the campus of Saint Joseph's University.