![]() | ![]() |
|
AD PARTNERS
|
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (Ticker) -- Lashinda Winters drove the length of the court and hit a layup with six seconds left to give 11th-seeded Stephen F. Austin a stunning 73-72 victory over No. 6 Xavier in an NCAA Tournament East Region first-round game. Winters' basket capped a 9-0 run to end the game for Stephen F. Austin (27-4), which was knocked out in the first round last year. A bucket by Jennifer Phillips gave Xavier (26-5) a 72-64 lead with 3:26 remaining. But the Musketeers were 0-of-2 from the field thereafter and Phillips missed two free throws with 58 seconds left. Nathesia Wright started the Ladyjacks' comeback with 2:45 to go and Shawnta Johnson's basket cut the margin to 72-68. Stephanie Whitmore's 3-pointer got Stephen F. Austin within a point and a steal by Johnson set the stage for Winters' heroics. Nicole Levandusky missed a desperation 3-pointer just before the buzzer as Xavier lost for only the second time in its last 17 games. Whitmore had 20 points and seven rebounds for the Ladyjacks, who will face the Louisiana State-Liberty winner in the second round on Sunday. Stephen F. Austin also got 15 points, seven assists and five steals from Winters. Phillips finished with 18 points and Levandusky scored 17 for Xavier, which shot nearly 55 percent (23-of-42) but committed 22 turnovers.
|