Dec. 4, 2007

Box Score

RALEIGH, N.C. -  Sophomore forward Amber Harris scored a team-high 19 points and notched her 15^th career double-double with 13 rebounds to lead the Xavier University women's basketball team past No. 24 North Carolina State, 51-49, on Tuesday evening in Raleigh, N.C.  With the win, The Musketeers improve to 5-3 while the Wolfpack slip to 8-2. 

The win was XU's first over a ranked opponent since its 2001 NCAA Mideast Regional Semifinal win over No. 3 Tennessee and snapped a 10-game losing streak against ranked foes.  Xavier is now 6-17 all-time vs. the ranked. 

Xavier held a 40-32 lead after Ta'Shia Phillips hit a turnaround jumper with 10:20 to go in regulation.  NC State would answer though and mounted a 7-0 run over the next 3:40 to pull to within a point at the 5:10 mark. 

Hester would get things back on track with a clutch 3-pointer to give XU a four-point lead and key a crucial 8-4 spurt, which ended with a Phillips lay-up at the two-minute mark and gave XU a 50-45 lead. 

The Wolfpack would cut the lead back down to two points with 15-seconds to go but that was as close as they would get, although Shayla Fields missed a running 3-pointer just before the final buzzer sounded. 

Harris finished the evening 8-for-20 from the field and also blocked three shots.  All 13 of her rebounds came on the defensive glass.  Junior guard Jerri Taylor scored 15 points and reigning A-10 Rookie of the Week Ta'Shia Phillips scored 10 points in 28 foul-plagued minutes. 

Sophomore forward Maureen Hester was solid, pulling down nine rebounds. 

Xavier shot just 39.2 percent from the floor but held NC State to an even chillier 35.4 percent, including 1-of-14 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. 

The Wolfpack led 16-13 after Khadijah Whittington scored her 12^th consecutive point of an impressive 7:10 stretch.  However, Xavier would not lie down and sprinted out to a 13-6 run over the next seven minutes to take its largest lead of the half, 29-22, after Taylor connected on a pullup jumper with 30-seconds remaining in the first half. 

Whittington connected on a turnaround jumper for her 18^th point of the first half to cut the XU lead to five points, 29-24, at the break.

XU improves to 2-0 all-time vs. the Wolfpack and 25-25 against teams from one of the `Big Six" conferences. 

Xavier will return to action when the team travels down I-71 to take on Louisville on Sunday, December 9.  Game time is set for 2 p.m. at Freedom Hall.