Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Quarterfinals: No. 1 Xavier completed a three-game season sweep of No. 8 Dayton 74-65 to move into the semifinals. The Musketeers came out on a mission after several players felt slighted by other conference coaches, who did not select any Xavier players to the Atlantic 10’s first-team honors. Senior forward Josh Duncan led the Musketeers with 16 points.
No. 5 Saint Joseph’s will try to beat Xavier for the second time in a week after dispatching No. 4 Richmond 61-57 in the quarterfinals. The Hawks held the Spiders without a point for nearly six minutes in the first half to overcome a slow start and grab the lead. Senior forward Rob Ferguson led the Hawks with 16 points.
No. 2 Temple continues to roll in Atlantic 10 play, beating No. 7 La Salle 84-75 to move into the semifinals. The Owls got 29 points from junior guard Dionte Christmas, who has scored in double figures every game this season. Temple built a 14-point second-half lead before La Salle started a furious rally to take the lead with two minutes remaining. But Temple ended the game on an 11-0 run to claim the win.
The Owls will play No. 6 Charlotte after the 49ers upset No. 3 Massachusetts, which means the Minutemen must wait to Selection Sunday to find out if they’ve done enough to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Senior guard Leemire Goldwire came off the bench to lead Charlotte with 24 points, and junior forward Lamont Mack hit five three-pointers and finished with 23 points. Goldwire hit two three-pointers in the final minute and six seconds to complete Charlotte’s comeback and seal the victory after the 49ers trailed by 17 at halftime. [3/13/08]
