Salem, VA (02/27/03) -- Junior guard A.J. Robertson (Eden, NC/Morehead) scored a career-high 26 points to lead top-seeded Guilford past eighth-seeded Hollins, 67-57, in the first game of the 2003 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament. The two-time defending champion Quakers advance to face the winner of the Lynchburg-Randolph-Macon contest in Friday's semifinal contest at 1:00 pm.

Hollins, who beat Guilford for the first time in 26 meetings January 25, stayed with Guilford for the first three quarters of the game. The Quakers used a 15-3 run in the last 10 minutes to pull away for their seventh straight ODAC Tournament win and their 10th victory in 11 games. Four different Quakers scored in the burst, including junior Jennie Keichline (Chapel Hill, NC/East Chapel Hill), who netted six of her eight second-half points in that time.

"We made a couple of tough shots where we were closely guarded and also had some big rebounds," Guilford coach Barb Bausch said of the run. "We made them feel a little more pressure down the stretch and that made a difference."

"I think we were nervous at the start of the game and up until the middle of the second half," Robertson said. "We hit a couple baskets in a row and it just took off from there. We get excited when shots starts falling and everybody gets involved."

Hollins battled back from a nine-point first-half deficit and outscored Guilford 16-6 in the last 10 minutes of the opening period for a 32-21 halftime lead. The teams traded the lead five times in the second half. Hollins held its final advantage after Brandi Cochran (Hillsville, VA/Carroll County) scored a layup with 8:59 left to give her team a 47-46 lead.

Robertson made 11 of 18 field goals, including three of five three-pointers, for the Quakers' highest individual scoring output of the season. She had 14 points in the first half and scored a variety of long- and mid-range jumpers.

"I missed my first couple shots, but after I hit a couple of open shots and they started falling, I knew I was in the zone," Robertson said. "They were playing me tight, so I figured if I could get by them, I'd find a better shot."

Keichline finished with 13 points and five boards off the bench for Guilford. Sophomore Courtney Hill (Kannapolis, NC/North Rowan) scored 10 points and finished with a game-high 12 rebounds for her team-leading fourth double-double of the year. Freshman Jennifer King (Reidsville, NC/Rockingham County) scored five points and contributed five boards and a game-high six assists.

Cochran and senior Emily Ferrell (Roanoke, VA/Northside) led Hollins with 13 points apiece. Jennifer Carpenter (Covington, VA/Alleghany) chipped in 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Katie Parnell (Lynchburg, VA/Holy Cross) finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Hollins shot 22.6 percent from the floor in the second half.