Thursday, March 03, 2011

MACON, Ga. – Jacksonville snapped a four-game losing streak to UNF in the Atlantic Sun Conference Women's Basketball Quarterfinals with a 56-52 victory against the Ospreys. UNF, the 2010 A-Sun Runner-Ups, become the first team on the men's or women's side to fall to a lower seed in the tournament.

Jacksonville lost to UNF twice during the regular season, but in this outing the the Dolphins grabbed the lead early and trailed for just 47 seconds of playing time. The game was tied four times in the latter stages until a pair of free throws by JU’s Ashanti Williams put her team ahead for good, 51-50, with 1:57 left in the game.

UNF dominated in the paint, outscoring Jacksonville underneath by a 32-12 margin. However, JU proved opportunistic with 14 second-half points compared to two for UNF.

Jessica George rolled up 17 points for the Dolphins to lead all scorers. George hit six-of-nine from the field, including four from beyond the arc. Lynsey Paschal added a double-double of 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds in the win.

The Ospreys had a trio of players in double-digit scoring, led by Brittany Kirkland’s 12 points. Juliemay Syquio had 11 points – to go along with her game-leading four assists – and Taylor Smith booked 10.

Jacksonville advances to Friday’s semifinal game versus top-seed ETSU set for a noon tip.

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