Nicole Levandusky (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        ST. PAUL, Minn. — When Nicole Levandusky first got together with her seven competitors for the 13th annual Slam Dunk and 3-Point Championships, she was surprised players from around the country would know her.

        “It's weird,” the Xavier senior said Thursday. “Normally, they have no clue who we are and don't know any thing about us. Just the Tennessee game alone has gotten us so much recognition.”

        Upsetting the top women's college basketball program in the NCAA Tournament on national TV will do that.

        Levandusky, who is XU's career 3-point leader and is eighth in NCAA history, was eliminated in the semifinals of the women's 3-point shooting competition Thursday night at Concordia University. The contest was won by Holli Tapley of Fairfield University, who was defeated by Penn State's Joe Crispin in a matchup of the men's and women's winners.

        Thursday's event, which included men's 3-point and dunk competitions, will be televised from 1:30 to 3:30p.m. Saturday on ESPN. It came only three nights after the Musketeers were eliminated from the tournament by Purdue in the regional final.

        “I really haven't had too much time to reflect on much,” Levandusky said. “I'm slowly getting to the process of looking at the fact that it was a great year, despite the loss to Purdue. But we were expecting to win that game and go on. We were all confident. We all felt there was no way we were going to lose.

        “We just didn't attack the way we had been all year. We just stood outside on the perimeter, passed the ball around, dribbled back and forth. It was weird. We had nothing to lose, but yet we were trying to protect something.”

        Xavier returned to Cincinnati on Tuesday. Levandusky had enough time to unpack, do laundry, repack and leave Wednesday for Minnesota.

        “I think it was good to get away,” the 5-foot-9 guard said. “Then when it comes time for me to reflect on (the season), I won't be as mad.”

        Levandusky leaves today for St. Louis, where she will participate in the WBCA All-Star Challenge on Saturday as part of the women's Final Four festivities. Lakota High School graduate Brooke Wyckoff, from Florida State, also is scheduled to play in that game.

        Then Levandusky and fellow Xavier seniors Jennifer Phillips and Taru Tuukkanen will attend the WNBA pre-draft camp in Chicago April 5-7. The league's draft is April 20.

        “I think I would like to continue (playing),” Levandusky said. “I'm not getting my hopes up in case it doesn't work out.”

        Levandusky will leave St.Louis before the women's championship game Sunday. She plans to watch the Connecticut-Notre Dame semifinal but not the Purdue-Southwest Missouri State game.

        “I don't want to,” she said. “It just makes me so mad knowing that we should be there. I'm sure by the time I'm done with everything, I'll be fine and ready to move on.

        “It's a great feeling to know I was part of a team, part of a class, that got so much recognition for Xavier and has brought it to that national level. Hopefully it stays there.”

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