March 23, 2008

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Junior guard Jerri Taylor scored 19 points and drained five 3-pointers but a furious Xavier rally fell short as the No. 9 seed Xavier University women's basketball team fell, 61-58, to No. 8 Nebraska in first round action of the 2008 Division I Women's Basketball championship.  With the loss, Xavier concludes its season with a 24-9 mark while Nebraska improves to 21-11. 

Taylor's game-high came on 7-of-12 shooting and she also dished-out a pair of assists. 

Sophomore forward Amber Harris notched her second-straight double-double in an NCAA Tournament game with a 14-point, 10-rebound effort.  The First Team All-A-10 selection also swatted a game-high six shots. 

Freshman center Ta'Shia Phillips hauled in a game-high 16 rebounds and she was one point shy of a double-double.     

Nebraska led by 10 at the break and built its lead to as many as 15, 39-24, when Cory Montgomery nailed a 3-pointer with 17:10 remaining in regulation.  

XU fought back though and charged out to an 8-0 run over a 3:20 stretch to pull to within four points, 56-52, after Tudy Reed converted on a put back with 50-seconds to go.  XU got a steal on the ensuing possession but missed a jumper and two put backs in an effort to cut the lead two points.  

After a couple Nebraska free throws, Harris nailed a 3-pointer with under 10-seconds to cut the lead to three-pointer but XU was unable to force another turnover.

Xavier out-rebounded the Huskers by a 48-to-31 count and held a 19-to-12 edge on the offensive glass.  

The Musketeers stumbled out of the gate, missing five of their first six attempts from the field and turning the ball over five times in the first five minutes.

Nebraska built a 13-2 lead at the 16:20 mark after Dominique Kelley buried a lay-up.  XU would wake up though and mounted an 11-4 spurt of its own over the next 4:50 and closed to within four points, 17-13, after Taylor nailed a pull up jumper.

The Huskers would strike back with a 7-0 run over a 1:50 span and led by as many as 14, 30-16, after Kelsey Griffin extended the run to 13-3 when she made a jumper. 

The Musketeers pulled to within 10 points at the half after the team closed with back-to-back buckets.