March 4, 2005
Box Score
The Duquesne University women's basketball season ended Friday afternoon with a 67-52 loss versus Massachusetts in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Championship at the Smith Center on George Washington's campus in Washington, D.C.
Junior Aiga Bautre, a third team All-Conference pick, and sophomore Loui Hall each scored 16 points to lead the Red and Blue. Bautre also led DU with a game-high seven rebounds. Junior Nicole Sinclair, the A-10's Student Athlete of the Year, also hit double figures with 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting to go along with her game-best five steals. Sophomore Brittany Warren led the Dukes with five assists.
UMass' Pam Rosario, one of five Minutewomen to hit double figures, made the first basket of the game, a layup after 37 seconds of play. Massachusetts would never relinquish the lead building the edge to a first half high of 16 points, 21-5, on two free throws by Tamara Tatham with 13:32 to go before the intermission. Duquesne cut the edge to 38-28 at the halftime break.
A 10-0 run to open the second half gave UMass a 48-28 edge with 15:05 to go. Duquesne cut the deficit to nine twice, the last time on a Bautre three-pointer with 1:25 left and the score 61-52. UM scored the final six points for the 67-52 score.
Katie Nelson led UMass with 17 points, followed by Kate Mills with 14, Rosario with 12 and Tatham and Brooke Campbell who each added 10 points. Mills and Campbell tied Bautre with seven boards and Nelson had a game-best seven assists.
Duquesne, which had topped UMass 63-52 on Jan. 21 in Amherst, Mass., completes the season with a 10-18 mark. Massachusetts is now 14-14 and takes on the number two seed in the West, Xavier (19-8), on Sat. March 5 at 2:00 p.m. at the Smith Center.
