Gonzaga vs Xavier Game Thread (3-27-10)

[cinskyline]

Gonzaga (29-4) vs Xavier (29-3) -- Sweet 16 -- Sacramento, CA (Arco Arena)

TV: ESPN2 11:30 PM

Lineups:

Gonzaga

F Vivian Frieson (6'0") 12.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg
F Heather Bowman (6'2") 15.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg
G Janelle Bekkering (6'0") 4.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg
G Courtney Vandersloot (5'8") 14.3 ppg, 9.4 apg
G Tiffanie Shives (5'10") 8.4 ppg, 41% 3 pt FG

Xavier :logo:

F Amber Harris (6'5") 16.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg
F April Phillips (6'0") 8.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg
C Ta'Shia Phillips (6'6") 14.0 ppg, 11.8 rpg
G Special Jennings (5'6") 8.4 ppg, 4.5 apg
G Tyeasha Moss (5'9") 8.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg

Winner of this game will play the winner of Stanford and Georgia. Let's go X!!!!

[XU-PA]

Adding my Let's Go X!! Let's Go X!! Let's Go X!! as I set my alarm, just in case, it's going to be a very long day waiting for this one.

Hoping that my shouts can be heard all the way from Maine to Sacramento, and yes the voice has healed just enough!

[XU-PA]

Nap is done, voice is back, 4 hours to go.

"the waiting is the hardest part"

[joebba]

Go Lady Muskies!

[SixFig]

If the ladies make it to the final four, I might just forget about the last three days.

Or not.

But still good luck make me proud. I'll jiggle my Tara Boothe bobblehead for good luck

[cinskyline]

I hope the ladies are able to get a victory tonight. Everybody and their brother is picking Gonzaga to pull the upset.

It was so depressing to watch Butler get a Final Four berth this afternoon.

[X-band '01]

Crap - sounds like Spokane West out there so far.

7-4 Zags with 16:30 left in the 1st half.

[X-band '01]

9-6 Zags going into the first media TO.

[cinskyline]

Too many turnovers so far -- they've scored 7 pts off 4 to's

[XU-PA]

The Zags D still not playing honest, they're going to have to adjust to T down low and that will open things up outside.

T is the key.

X,,,,, we need to keep the TO's low

[XU-PA]

Looking good, Amber with the trey!!!!!!!

[X-band '01]

19-14 Xavier lead following an Amber Harris 3 (about 10:30 left in the 1st half).

[X-band '01]

Not sure about "looking" - I'm not getting ESPN2/ESPN360 feed right now and listening to Schmaltz instead.

[XU-PA]

zags getting hot from three, actually just one of them. 26-23 6:50 to go

[X-band '01]

6:53 to go; Gonzaga now up 26-23.

On the bright side, Rutan has a pair of 3s for X and Frieson has 2 fouls for Gonzaga. Now X needs to tighten the perimeter D.

[X-band '01]

Tiffany Shives leading all scorers with 11; she's 3-4 from behind the arc for Gonzaga.

[X-band '01]

Needed that 3 - X up 29-28 after a long-range shot from Special.

[X-band '01]

Tied 29-29 with 2:45 left; Ta'Shia now has 2 fouls.

[XU-PA]

It doesn't sounds like a ton of fans from either side are there, no "home advantage" for X or the zags.

must all be stanford fans

[X-band '01]

It's the Zags fans; they travel well for the men and women and also have a far shorter trip from Spokane than Xavier fans do.

[X-band '01]

That's good - X could not allow a bucket after April's bucket was waved off for a SC violation.

But it's now 32-31 X with 30 secs left.

[X-band '01]

And Xavier will take a 32-31 lead into halftime. Not bad with Ta'Shia in foul trouble to end the half.

[XU-PA]

Good shape, just good.
Should be a 5 or 6 point lead, but the fouls are low (I'd rather T had 1 instead of 2) our shooters seem to have found the target, and the defense is playing well despite a few lapses in transition. Good half.

[KabeX]

Same halftime score as KSU on Thursday night. Let's hope for a different result.

[cinskyline]

Good half -- it's encouraging to see us shoot well from 3.

However, we can't seem to pass the ball into the post without it resulting in a turnover.

13 to's in the 1st half

[XU-PA]

at the midway point it had the feel of a shootout, kind of glad it slowed down. I think Coach is doing a good job in keeping at our pace, I'm not sure they'd be able to run for an extended period.

[rhyno2110]

Just throwing this out there, but the player I dislike the most on Xavier is April Phillips. Sometimes it seems like she completely loses focus, and she has way to many tatoos, but thats just being picky.

I like that our guards are knocking down the three, but I would like to see more touches for T and Amber. That is the key I think.

Carry us from Sweet to Elite Amber!!

[cinskyline]

The bad:

Gonzaga is outscoring us in the paint 18-14 and have more 2nd chance points 7-2 :eek:

[cinskyline]

Just throwing this out there, but the player I dislike the most on Xavier is April Phillips. Sometimes it seems like she completely loses focus, and she has way to many tatoos, but thats just being picky.

April has improved greatly since transferring here. She can do serious damage inside, but plays too out of control for my taste. That's probably the big thing with her.

[X-band '01]

36-31 - that may be the biggest lead of the game for either side with X on top now.

[XU-PA]

a run!!!!!!!!!!! go go go!!!!!!!

[X-band '01]

Add another 3 for Amber and they're out of the gates quickly!

[X-band '01]

41-31 after a Ta'Shia stickback.

[XU-PA]

This is getting very very good. Zags scoreless since the :42 mark in 1st half

[X-band '01]

1st media TO; X now up 43-33. It's been an 11-2 run to start the 2nd half.

[X-band '01]

47-43 Xavier; the Zags offense has heated up since the last timeout.

[XU-PA]

trading baskets,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, maddening!

Put them away!!!!!

[X-band '01]

11:57 remaining; now 49-43 X.

[XU-PA]

Dee Dee is on fire!!! she lit up after getting knocked down on that drive

[X-band '01]

Redmon is the only reason Gonzaga has been in it so far this half; X leads 53-43 after another Ta'Shia stickback.

[GuyFawkes38]

Woot X women!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[XU-PA]

12 point lead,,,, loving this!

[X-band '01]

56-44 after 3 Rutan FTs.

[XU-PA]

Special!!!! takes the charge!

[X-band '01]

59-44 after another Rutan bomb.

[XU-PA]

Rutan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[xu_fan]

I'm looooooooovin this!!!! Keep it up ladies!!!! 8 more min!!

[XU-PA]

I'd love to see Coach keep the guns blaring. No reason to change anything now. Keep pounding it low, the kick to the wing is putting the nails in the coffin!

[X-band '01]

64-52 X; now 4:30 left.

[XU-PA]

good time for a time out.
need to focus here, there's enough time left for sloppy play to hurt us

[XU-PA]

all cylinders are churning, this is as good as I can recall them playing all year! As good as the Temple win

[X-band '01]

68-52 X; right now Gonzaga is playing like they're the ones with a 1 AM bedtime.

[XU-PA]

that's it baby, 17 points and 2 minutes left,,,, this thing is a wrap!!

Elite 8!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[X-band '01]

71-54 X; 2:20 to go

[XU-PA]

and I love the announcer talking about Amber coming back next year,

[awayfan]

It really is amazing to watch Phillips rebound. It is just a thing of beauty

[X-band '01]

1-minute warning!

[XU-PA]

looking at the Gametracker stats, we have outdone the zags in every facet of the game, shooting, 3 point, FT shooting, boards, everything!

[XU-PA]

best ever!
they have matched the best ever for Xavier basketball, elite 8!!!!!!!!

[X-band '01]

74-56; help control the pet population. Have your Bulldogs spayed and neutered. Bye-bye everyone!

-Bob Barker

[X-band '01]

Halfway home in Sacramento; tine to repeal Cardinal law on Monday night!

[cinskyline]

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Flexo]

That was an absolutely dominant second half. Always fun to watch Gonzaga get crushed, especially when we're doing the crushing.

We'll be significant underdogs Monday night, but with two halves like that second half tonight, who knows what could happen.

Go X!

[KC4X]

Nicely done! X took better care of the ball and played their game in the 2nd half. I loved how they never quit. Now beat Stanford!

[JAPER]

wtf? I set DVD to record ESPN2 last night...highlights of everything but that game for 2.5 hrs.

Oh well, grats ladies. Go X! One game at a time here....