March 5, 2006

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - In a tightly fought contest that had 13 lead changes and nine ties, it came down to the last shot for Saint Joseph's women's basketball team. Unfortunately for the Hawks, a short jumpshot by freshman center Hillary Klimowicz with 1.8 seconds remaining was off the mark as Saint Joseph's fell to the top-seeded George Washington Colonials 53-51 in the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Championship Sunday afternoon at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse.

Trailing 52-45 with 2:43 left in the game, the Hawks fought back with 6-0 run over the next 2:31 as a Klimowicz layup with 11 seconds remaining brought Saint Joseph's within one, 52-51.

The Hawks fouled on the ensuing inbounds and sent the Colonials Kimberly Beck to the line for two. The sophomore guard went 1-of-2 from the line, giving the Hawks a slim chance to tie with nine seconds remaining.

Saint Joseph's quickly got the ball up the court as junior guard Whitney Ffrench drove to the basket, but her shot was rejected by Jazmine Adair with 1.8 seconds remaining.

On the following inbounds, the Hawks got the ball to Klimowicz for a short jump shot in the paint, but the ball was off the mark as the Colonials grabbed the rebound as time expired.

"It was a great Atlantic 10 game today," said Saint Joseph's Head Coach Cindy Griffin. "I'm proud of the way our team played today. They gave everything they had and left everything on the court."

I've been put in that situation many times before," Klimowicz said of her last-second shot. "I've shot that shot 1,000 times and four times out five I'll make it. It comes down to making it, and I didn't today."

In the first half, both teams held each other in check, as the biggest lead of the stanza came at the 5:30 mark as Klimowicz capped a 7-0 run for the Hawks with a layup to put them up 22-16.

George Washington fought back, scoring seven of the next nine points to end the half as Saint Joseph's held a 24-23 edge going into the lockerroom.

In the second stanza, both teams went back and forth as the lead switched hands five times over the opening 10 minutes.

With the game tied 36-36, the Colonials used a 6-1 run to open a 42-37 lead on a Sarah-Jo Lawrence layup at the 7:40 mark. Over the next five minutes, George Washington would extend its lead to as many seven, 52-45, before the frantic finish.

For the game, the Hawks finished 16-of-49 from the floor (32.7 percent) and 2-of-13 from three-point range (15.4 percent). At the other end, the Colonials shot 40 percent (20-of-40) and went 2-of-4 from behind the arc. At the line, Saint Joseph's finished 17-of-21 (81 percent), while George Washington shot just 11-of-22 (50 percent).

Individually, Klimowicz led all players with her fifth double-double of the season pouring in 18 points and 13 rebounds. Her three blocks increased her season total to 57, and moved her into 10th all-time in program history. Sophomore guard Timisha Gomez (Elkridge, MD/Long Reach) was the only other Hawk to score in double figures, as she added 10 points and four assists.

For George Washington, Lawrence led the way with 14 points as all 10 Colonials who saw action scored at least two points.

With the loss, the Hawks fall to 20-10 on the season, a 13-game improvement over their 2004-05 record. The victory improves George Washington's record to 22-7 as it advances to face Temple Monday for the A-10 title.