March 5, 2007

Box Score

CINCINNATI, OH - Embodying the Saint Joseph's motto of "The Hawk Will Never Die!", the Saint Joseph's women's basketball team turned in a gutsy performance in the Atlantic 10 Championship Monday evening versus Xavier fighting back from a 10-point second-half deficit to tie the game in the final minutes versus Xavier. Unfortunately, the third-seeded Musketeers outscored the fifth-seeded Hawks 10-4 to end the game and earn both the A-10 crown and a berth in the 2007 NCAA Tournament.

Down 37-27 with 13:02 left in the game, Saint Joseph's slowly chipped away at the host Musketeers. A 9-2 run, capped by a layup by freshman forward Brittany Ford, brought the Hawks within three, 39-36 with 8:12 remaining.

Both teams would exchange baskets over the next five minutes with Xavier holding a 53-47 edge with only 3:18 to go.

An 8-2 run by Saint Joseph's over the next 1:47 tied the game at 55 apiece. Hawks' senior guard Whitney Ffrench (New Minas, Nova Scotia/Tabor Academy) tied the game with 1:31 to go on a short jump shot.

On Xavier's next possession, Michele Miller was fouled away from the ball, but went to the line for two shots as the Hawks were over the limit. After missing the first, Miller put her squad up one, 56-55, as she made the second.

Saint Joseph's, with a chance to take a lead for the first time in the second half, were thwarted as senior senior guard Ayahna Cornish's layup was off the mark and Xavier's Joei Clyburn caught the rebound.

Down three, 58-55, after Clyburn's free throws, the Hawks had the ball stripped from them, as Ford held the ball at the high post and had a Musketeer defender swipe it from behind.

After another Clyburn put Xavier up 59-55, Hawk sophomore Jen Oyler (Oregon City, OR/Oregon City) had her three-pointer tipped by Xavier's Amber Harris, allowing the Musketeers to get the rebound.

A pair of Harris free throws extended the Musketeers lead to 61-55 with 23 seconds remaining.

Ffrench would add a later layup, but Xavier added four free throws to seal the victory.

"We felt like we could come back as we had all week," said Cornish, who was named to the All-Tournament Team. "We kept pushing hard until the end and gave it our all."

In the first half, both teams kept it close, trading the lead six times, and creating five ties.

Tied at 16, Saint Joseph's used a 5-1 run, of an Oyler three pointer and a Ford layup to open its biggest lead, 21-17, with 4:38 left in the half.

The Musketeers used a 20-6 run that carried over into the second half to open their biggest lead, 35-25, with 14:27 in the game.

With the loss, the Hawks fall to 19-13 on the season and hold an outside shot of making the NCAA Tournament, if not the WNIT. Xavier improves to 26-7.

Ford, who was also named to the All-Tournament Team, scored a career-high 20 points to go with four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals. Ffrench added 14 points, while sophomore Jenna Loschiavo added 12.

Clyburn, named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player, finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds.