By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Xavier's Reetta Piipari (Steven M. Herppich photo) | ZOOM |

Amy Waugh saved her best for last. The Xavier senior scored a career-high 34 points on Senior Day at Cintas Center Sunday as she and Reetta Piipari played their final home game, a 74-62 win against Dayton.

After the game, the standout backcourt duo was treated to a five-minute video presentation of their career highlights while 3,434 cheered.

"Watching the video just reminded me of so many things that we've been through together," said Waugh, who made eight 3-pointers. "The good times and the bad. We've had so much fun together. We have so many things to carry with us after this year."

It's not over yet. With the win, the Musketeers (19-8, 11-5 Atlantic 10) secured a first-round bye in the A-10 Tournament. Waugh and Piipari have won two A-10 Tournaments in their career. After Sunday's game, Waugh was talking about adding a third championship.

"It's a happy day because we got a W," Waugh said. "And as far as I'm concerned, our season's not over yet. Our goals are set high, and we're not going to settle for anything less than the title."

Xavier's Amy Waugh (Steven M. Herppich photo) | ZOOM |

Two seasons ago, Xavier went 31-3, winning the A-10 Tournament and advancing to the Regional Final of the NCAA Tournament.

"Together, we're going to do our best to get us back to where we were two years ago," Waugh said.

Xavier plays the winner of Thursday's Massachusetts-LaSalle game in the second round of the tournament at 6 p.m. on Friday in Rhode Island.

Because the championship game is played on the home court of the highest seed, the Musketeers could be back at Cintas Center March 10 if they advance to the final and face any team other than George Washington. Without that certainty, Waugh and Piipari treated Sunday as their farewell game.

"As much as we don't want to say it was, it was an emotional day for us," Waugh said. "Everything that happened was fitting for our careers here. Overall, I don't really think it has set in yet."

Piipari finished with 13 points and 11 assists, bringing her career assist total to 647, No. 1 all-time at Xavier.

"I'll definitely remember Amy Waugh," joked Piipari. "It's going to be tough. I think we'll both miss it a lot."

DAYTON (14-13, 7-9 A-10) - Schloss 6-11 5-5 19, Stull 7-12 0-0 14, Moore 0-1 1-2 1, Alcius 0-2 0-0 0, Miller 1-7 0-0 3, Sullivan 2-4 0-0 5, Donovan 2-8 8-10 14, Allen 3-10 0-0 8, Cape 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 21-55 14-17 64.

XAVIER (19-8, 11-5) - Boothe 7-11 2-3 16, Henderson 2-4 1-2 5, Waugh 12-14 2-3 34, Piipari 5-15 0-0 13, Wallner 1-3 0-0 2, Wells 0-1 0-0 0, Sarajlija 1-3 0-0 0. Totals: 1-3 5-8 72.

Halftime: XU 33, UD 26. 3-pointers: UD 8-24 (Schloss 2-3, Moore 0-1, Alcius 0-2, Miller 1-5, Sullivan 1-1, Donovan 2-5, Allen 2-7), XU 11-16 (Henderson 0-1, Waugh 8-10, Piipari 3-5). Rebounds: UD 26 (Schloss 6), XU 32 (Boothe 6). Assists: UD 16 (Miller 6), XU 20 (Piipari 11). Attendance - 3,434.

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E-mail ddow@enquirer.com