On Saturday, No. 13 George Washington, led by senior guard Kimberly Beck’s 19 second-half points pulled away from Duquesne for a 73-65 win. Colonial coach Joe McKeown took home career win No. 500 for the victory. McKeown became the 34th coach of all time to achieve this milestone.
With the game tied at 6-6 early in the first half, the Colonials surged on a 13-2 run, but the Dukes kept it close as they rallied to stay in it with a 7-0 run immediately after. The Colonials proved why they should be considered among the elite teams in Division I basketball, responding with a 10-0 run, giving them a 14-point lead late in the first half.
Duquesne stayed in the game throughout the second half thanks to the stellar play of Kristy Little and her 16 points. The Dukes reduced the deficit down to four points on several occasions early in the half, but their 20 turnovers proved to be too costly in the end to overcome. With only 31 seconds left, Beck, who had a poor shooting night (4-of-17), nailed two free throws to put the game out of reach for the Dukes, who now stand at 2-4 in conference play.
Huge runs pace Xavier
Xavier was out to prove a point in Rhode Island on Sunday that they belong at the top of the Atlantic 10, where they’re currently tied with George Washington and Temple. The Musketeers cruised by the Rams behind a 20-point effort from sophomore Amber Harris.
With a five-point lead three minutes into the game, the Musketeers went on a 12-0 run that gave them a 17-point lead midway through the half and allowed them to cruise into a 14-point halftime lead. After the Rams cut the lead to nine, another 14-0 run in the second half put the Musketeers up 61-38 with nine minutes left to seal the game. They improved to 6-1 in conference play with the win.
Senior Safi Mojidi led the Rams with 14 points while Sierra Cooper had seven rebounds in the losing effort. With this loss, the Rams dropped to 2-5 in the conference and will look to rebound at Fordham on Wednesday.
Temple survives late scare
The Temple Owls used a 36-18 rebounding advantage to barely pull out a win over LaSalle, which dropped to 1-6 in conference play. The Owls were led by junior forward Shenita Landry who posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Temple’s near perfect free-throw shooting allowed them to leave LaSalle victorious.
With the win, Temple has now won 18 straight Big-Five games, as it clinched its fourth straight City Series crown, becoming the first team to accomplish that feat.
For the Explorers, senior forward Carlene Hightower led all scorers with 18 points as the team continues to struggle in the conference. The Explorers will be visited on Wednesday by Massachusetts as both teams look to bounce back after hard-fought losses.
Billikens knock off A-10 leader
On Saturday, the Saint Louis Billikens rallied against the Charlotte 49ers to knock them off the leader board in the conference with a 71-60 win in front of a home crowd. The Billikens were lifted by four players scoring in double figures, led by sophomore Katie Paganelli and her game-high 19 points.
The win snaps a 10-game losing streak for the Billikens against the 49ers. After the game, Billikens coach Shimmy Gray-Miller told reporters, “There is no doubt that this is the biggest win in my three seasons here.”
The 49ers were led by Danielle Burgin’s 15 points and Wendy Stywalt’s 12 points and eight rebounds as the team drops to 5-2 in conference play, one in back of leaders George Washington, Xavier and Temple. They play the Owls in a key division game on Wednesday.
Weekly honors
UMass senior forward Kate Mills won her fourth A-10 Player of the Week honor this past week posting two double-doubles. Mills earned the honor by averaging 26.5 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals per game in her two contests this week against Fordham and Saint Joseph’s. Mills leads the Minutewomen averaging 17.9 points per game, good for second in the conference.
Ta’Shia Phillips of Xavier won the Atlantic-10 Rookie of the Week honors for her ninth time this season thanks to her stellar performance this past week. Phillips averaged a double-double in her team’s two big wins as she set a career high in blocked shots with four against Rhode Island.
Sam Grossack can be reached at [email protected].
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