Rachel Kent scored a career-high 22 points, including 6-of-9 from behind the arc, to lead Saint Louis to a 65-52 quarterfinal win over No. 5 Massachusetts Friday afternoon in Dayton, Ohio.
The Billikens (19-12, 9-7) advance to the semifinals and will take on No. 1 seed Dayton tomorrow, March 7, at 10 a.m. CT in UD Arena.
Kent also collected four assists, two rebounds and one block, while Myriama Smith Traore neared a double-double with a game-high 12 rebounds, along with nine points.
Ciaja Harbison tallied 14 points and a game-best five assists. Kendra Wilken and Myia Clark netted eight points each, with Clark connecting on two treys and Wilken adding eight rebounds.
Sam Breen led UMass (20-11) with 14 points and eight boards, while Hailey Leidel scored 11 points and dished out three assists.
The Minutewomen took control early, jumping out to a 13-5 lead. The Billikens responded with an 8-0 spurt, knotting the contest at 13. UMass hit a free throw and a field goal to close out the first quarter with a 16-13 advantage.
After surrendering the first field goal of the period, SLU went on a 14-0 run, capped off by a Smith Traore and one, and took a 27-18 lead in the game. The Billikens then ended the half on a Brooke Flowers field goal, followed by Kent's fifth trey, and took a 36-28 halftime lead.
UMass came within three points of SLU twice in the third frame, but the Billikens were able to answer each time. The two teams headed to the fourth quarter with Saint Louis leading 47-43.
Consecutive 3-pointers from Kent and Clark put the Billikens up 10 at 57-47. SLU was able to hold that distance from the Minutewomen for the remainder of the game, with Harbison closing the scoring with an and one, putting Saint Louis up 65-52.
Saturday's semifinal against Dayton will tip at 10 a.m. CT and will be aired on CBS Sports Network. The winner of that game will advance to Sunday's final, which also will be played at UD Arena. The winner of the A-10 Championship earns the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
