The higher seeds ‘held serve’ at Henrico Sports and Events Center. The A10 Women’s Tournament quarterfinals saw two close calls, followed by two not as close.
Richmond 63 Duquesne 58
Richmond won their 17th straight but it was far from easy. The top seeded Spiders defeated Duquesne by 24 points back in February. This time it was a contest with two ties and seven lead changes. Dan Burt’s group went ahead late in the fourth period only to see Richmond/’s Alyssa Jiminez bury a three that regained the lead and momentum. Megan McConnell struggled, scoring five points on 1 of 7 shooting. Kiandra Brown, though, picked up the slack for the Dukes with a game-high 18 points.
Saint Joseph’s 53 Rhode Island 50 (OT)
In a 56 possession, grind it out affair, the Hawks held a slight 84-78 edge in offensive efficiency. Rhode Island held a 48-42 lead with two and a half minutes remaining in regulation. Over those final minutes the Rams were 0-3 from the field and 0-2 from the line, opening up the door for the Hawks. In overtime Tayla Brugler of Saint Joseph’s canned four free throws as the Hawks put the game away from the charity stripe. Brugler led all scorers with 16 points.
George Mason 87 Saint Louis 57
The Patriots punched their ticket to the A10 semis for the first time in program history. They did it in a convincing way. The Patriots built a 19-point halftime lead and were never seriously challenged in the final two periods. George Mason forced 20 Billiken turnovers en route to a 28-14 advantage in points off turnovers. Four Patriots hit double-digits led by Kennedy Harris, coming off the bench to post a game-high 18 points. Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis’ group reached another milestone by securing a program record 25th victory.
Davidson 56 Dayton 36
In a 68 possession game the Flyers were held to a 55 offensive efficiency. That was not the only tempo free number of note or indistinction. Dayton also turned the ball over 29 times for an abysmal 40% turnover rate. Gayle Fulk’s Wildcats sprinted out to a 16-2 lead by the conclusion of the first period and never looked back. Charliese Dunn scored a game-high 16 points for the Wildcats. Davidson also advanced to the A10 semifinals for the first time.
Semifinal Matchups:
Richmond-Saint Joseph’s
George Mason-Davidson
