Sunday, March 10, 2013 6:15 pm
Saint Joseph's women stop No. 11 Dayton 61-54
The Associated Press
The Flyers (27-2) hadn't lost since Dec. 30 against Bowling Green. They had beaten 22 straight conference opponents, including last season's tournament title run, since a Feb. 11, 2012, loss to St. Bonaventure.
The fourth-seeded Hawks (22-8), who lost 73-66 at Dayton on March 3, will face third-seeded Fordham in Saturday night's final in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Rams beat Temple 66-55 in Sunday's other semifinal and have won eight straight, including a 70-65 overtime win over Saint Joseph's on Feb. 24.
Saint Joseph's never trailed against Dayton and led 35-24 after van Grinsven's 13 first-half points. Dayton got to within 52-51 with 2:45 remaining, but van Grinsven hit a jumper half a minute later, and Erin Shields tacked on six free throws in the final 1:11.
Shields scored 12 points and Ilze Gotfrida 10 for Saint Joseph's, and Ashley Prim grabbed 13 rebounds.
Andrea Hoover and Kelley Austria scored 11 points each for Dayton.