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 Whitney Allen (3) shoots over Dayton forward Jennifer Strong (34) (AP Photo) |
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No. 8/9 GW Tops Dayton 61-45, Advances to A-10 Semifinals for 16th Time
March 3, 2007
Final Stats |
AP Photo Gallery 
CINCINNATI (AP) - Jessica Adair set the tone with her inside scoring and emphatic shot blocking Saturday, and No. 8 George Washington extended its winning streak to 19 games with a 61-45 victory over Dayton in the Atlantic 10 tournament quarterfinals.
The Colonials (26-2) took a while to get rolling against a team it has beaten every time they've played. George Washington improved to 22-0 all-time against Dayton (12-19), which had neither the size nor the depth to keep up.
Adair asserted herself during a 13-point run late in the first half that put the Colonials in charge. The 6-foot-4 center scored eight consecutive points - four of them on free throws - and had one of her five blocks. Adair finished with 14 points.
The Colonials went 14-0 in the A10, only the fifth perfect season in conference history. With the conference's most balanced offense and its stingiest defense, George Washington is trying to add a tournament title to its sixth straight regular-season championship.
Jennifer Strong, who leads Dayton with 13 points per game, was called for three first-half fouls and failed to score, going 0-for-4. Brittany Holterman led the Flyers with 10 points.
George Washington's Joe McKeown, the conference's coach of the year, hobbled onto the court using a metal crutch under his left arm and a brace on his right leg. McKeown, 50, tore his right patella tendon during practice on Dec. 14 and is still recovering.
The three-person officiating crew pointed to the leg and joked with him before the game. It wasn't long before he was screaming at the referees in a first half that was unexpectedly close.
About 200 people were in the 10,100-set arena - not counting the bands and cheerleaders - for pregame introductions on Xavier's home court. It didn't take long for the mood to heat up.
Players repeatedly dived for loose balls and set jarring picks, refusing to back down in a back-and-forth half. There were two ties and 11 lead changes - a dramatic improvement for Dayton, which never led during its 70-57 home-court loss to the Colonials on Jan. 26.
Adair finally gave George Washington a toehold, scoring eight points during the 13-point run that made it 31-19. She made the best play during the run, grabbing a rebound and immediately going up to hit a 6-foot jumper.
Adair also blocked a shot during the run, which saw the conference's top defense at its best. Dayton missed 11 consecutive shots during the nearly 8-minute span.
Adair's inside dominance helped the Atlantic 10's top 3-point shooting team overcome a cold afternoon from behind the arc. George Washington went only 2-for-11 on 3-point attempts in the first half.
The Colonials' defense snuffed out Dayton's hopes of a comeback at the start of the second half, holding the Flyers without a basket for the first 5 minutes. Dayton went 0-for-6 from the field with five turnovers while George Washington pushed the lead to 41-21.
"The run we made at the start of the second half was the difference and really took the wind out of Dayton," said McKeown. "I thought Dayton played well, but overall we did what we had to do to open the game up in the second half."
Dayton shot only 30 percent from the field and had 24 turnovers.
GW will face No. 5-seed Saint Joseph's, a 76-64 quarterfinal winner over Charlotte, in the semifinals on Sunday.
Notes: GW has advanced to the A-10 Championship semifinals in 16 of the last 17 years ... Junior Kimberly Beck is now tied with Cathy Joens on GW's career steals list with 214. She also is three assists shy of becoming just the third GW player to amass 500 career assists, 70 points shy of becoming the program's 23rd 1,000 point scorer, and tied with Lindsey Davidson for fifth on GW's career three-point field goals made list with 151 ... Senior Kenan Cole matched a career-high with four steals ... GW attempted a season-high 22 three-pointers, connecting on five ... GW improved to 15-9 all-time in A-10 Championship quarterfinal games.
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