Feb. 17, 2008

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CINCINNATI - Freshman standout Ta'Shia Phillips recorded game-highs with 21 points and 14 rebounds in leading the Xavier University women's basketball team past Charlotte by a 71-62 count on Sunday afternoon in Cintas Center.  With the pivotal win, XU improves to 18-7 on the year and creeps back into a tie for first place in the Atlantic 10 Conference with an 8-2 league mark.  Charlotte slips to 16-11, 7-4. 

The double-double was Phillips' 14^th of the season and she also swatted a career-high five shots.  Sophomore forward Amber Harris added 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting and she also blocked five shots on the afternoon. 

Junior forward Tudy Reed scored 14 and hit a couple big buckets down the stretch.  Junior guard Jerri Taylor was the fourth Musketeer in double-figures with 11 points and she also tied a career best with five assists. 

Freshman guard Special Jennings was solid at the point, scoring five points, connecting on both her free throw attempts and dishing-out a game-high seven assists. 

The game was Xavier's from the opening tip, as XU opened the first half with a 6-0 run, paced by two jump shots from Amber Harris.  The 49ers would not take the lead for the entirety of the half.  Harris finished the half with 11 points and four rebounds, complimented by teammate Ta'Shia Phillips who added eight points and five rebounds to XU's first-half dominance.

Harris made her first five field goal attempts to finish the first half 5-6, leading a lights-out shooting performance at 55.2 percent by the Musketeers in the first stanza.  The theme would continue, as Xavier finished the game with a 50.0 percent field goal percentage.  The battle on the glass was also won by Xavier 40-31, including a 21-15 first-half margin in XU's favor.

Ta'Shia Phillips' free throw 56 seconds into the second half earned Xavier a 12 point lead, its largest of the contest.  The 49ers would follow with a 5-0 run including a Traci Ray three-point play, but the Musketeers held strong and maintained their advantage.

After a Ta'Shia Phillips layup at the 10:56 mark of the second half, Charlotte went on a 7-0 over the next 4:06 to cut the Musketeer lead to two.  Tudy Reed and Phillips combined to follow the run with six consecutive points and Amber Harris added a block to effectively put the game away. 

The Musketeers are on the road for the next two contests, traveling to Fordham on February 20 for a 7 p.m. matchup and La Salle on the 23rd for a 1 p.m. tip-off.  XU aims to improve on their 5-4 overall record on the road this season (2-2 A-10).