The SXU Women’s Basketball team participated in a road trip this week and completely dominated their competition in the process. The Cougars started their road trip on February 12th when they traveled to Deerfield, Illinois to play the Trinity International University Trojans. Saint Xavier entered the game with a 23-3 record and were ranked as the eighth best team in the country.
The Trojans entered the game with a 16-10 record. The Cougars got off to a hot start in the first quarter, jumping out to a 10 point lead in the first five minutes. It just got better from there for SXU as they completely dominated Trinity International for the rest of the quarter, eventually ending it with an 18 point lead.
The second quarter was not much better for the Trojans, as they just could not keep up with the SXU offense led by Chanel Fanter and Maia Fawcett.
Eventually the second quarter ended with the Cougars up 57-35, a 22 point lead. Trinity International finally got their offense going in the third quarter. They cut Saint Xavier’s 22 point lead to just 10 by the end of the quarter, setting up a potentially exciting finish. However, that potentially exciting finish never materialized, thanks to a dominant fourth quarter performance from the Cougars. Eventually, the Cougars won 90-74. Saint Xavier improved to 24-3 with the win, while Trinity International fell to 16-11 with the loss.
The Cougars next played on February 15th against the Holy Cross College Saints in Notre Dame, Indiana.
The Saints entered the game with an 8-19 record. The first quarter started off somewhat close, as both teams traded leads to start the game. However, by the end of the quarter, the Cougars dominated the Saints, outscoring them 9-2 in the final seven minutes of the quarter.
The first quarter eventually ended with SXU up 20-11. The second quarter was very similar to the first quarter, with both teams trading leads to start the quarter. Much like the first quarter, SXU pulled away in the second half and eventually ended up with a 12 point lead going into halftime.
The third quarter was completely dominated by the SXU offense, who shut down the Holy Cross offense and eventually ended up with a 14 point lead going into the the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter was more of the same dominance from Saint Xavier, who eventually ended up winning the game 93-65. Saint Xavier was led on offense by Maddie Welter, who scored 39 points in this winning effort. The Cougars improved to 25-3 with the win, while Holy Cross fell to 8-20 with the loss.
The Cougars wrap up their regular season schedule next week when they play St. Francis University (IL) and IU-South Bend on February 19th and 22nd respectively. Saint Xavier has been on a real hot streak recently, winning their past 14 games. If they can keep up this momentum, there is no telling where they may go in the postseason.