Thursday, March 04, 2010

MACON, GA. – Gigi Thomas scored 23-points to lead Jacksonville past Campbell and into the semifinals of the 2010 General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Championships with a 52-46 victory.

Read the Atlantic Sun Insider Column associated with this game here.

JU built an 11 point lead in the first half and held on to it in the second, despite only hitting one 3-pointer during the entire contest. Jacksonville also dominated the boards, grabbing 46 totaled with 20 offensive rebounds, allowing the Dolphins to score 17 second-chance points.

An early missed jumper from Campbell’s Amanda O’Neill provided the fuel for a Jacksonville wildfire. Freshman guard Drameka Griggs scored on a layup, leading the Dolphins to extend their early lead to as many as 13 points in the first half. The hope of the Lady Camels for a comeback were sparked, when sophomore forward Katelyn Bass responded with a shot to lessen the margin. However, the teams entered halftime with Jacksonville leading, 30-19.

After holding the Lady Camels to 29.2 percent shooting in the first half, the Dolphins’ Taneskei Richardson opened second-half play on a jumper. Jacksonville continued to exert equal offense to defense pressure, widening the scoring difference to 34-21 on a pair of free throws from Maggie Wilson. Sophomore guard Kate Cloxton’s 3-pointer with 8:24 remaining helped to cut Campbell’s deficit, but the Dolphins ensured that the Lady Camels would never get a lead with some key late baskets. A final free throw by Thomas iced the victory for Jacksonville.

Next, Jacksonville will face No. 7-seeded Kennesaw State tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. Tickets to all Championship games are available at MercerBears.com.

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

A-SUN CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES
* Jacksonville advances to its fourth straight semifinal, matching ETSU for the longest active streak in the conference. The two have met in each of the last 2 A-Sun finals and would be a track for a 3rd showdown if both win on Friday.
* The Dolphins win gives lower seeded teams two wins in the quarterfinal round for the first time in the Women’s Championship since 2001 when No. 5 Stetson and No. 6 Mercer picked up wins against No. 4 UCF and No. 3 Belmont.
* The Dolphins’ win sets up the second River City Rumble of the A-Sun Championship. The respective men’s teams met on Wednesday with JU pulling out a 76-69 win. The women split their regular-season meetings

CAMPBELL
* The Camels drop their eighth consecutive A-Sun Championship game. Their last win came in a 2001 semifinal game against Troy State
* Kate Cloxton, ranked second in the conference in assists entering the game, failed to record an assist for the first time this season
* The Camels fall to 2-12 when trailing at the half

JACKSONVILLE
* Gigi Thomas established career highs in points (23), made field goals (10) and field goals attempted (19). Her previous highs were 15 points, done twice, 6 field goals, done three times and 15 attempts, set against FGCU on Jan. 9.
* In her last three games, Thomas has averaged 17.3 points and shot 22-for-42 (52.4 pct) from the field.
* Thomas records the fourth 20-point scoring performance for a Dolphin this year, joining Courtney Jackson, Desarae Johnson and Drameka Griggs. Jackson (24 pts) and Johnson (21) both reached that mark in a Dec. 21 game against ETSU. Griggs scored 23 against UNF on Jan. 27.
* The Dolphins improve to 7-0 this season when holding an opponent to 55 points or fewer.