Photo courtesy of SXU Athletics
On Robert Morris’ Senior Day – Feb. 11, the Cougars came to play beating the #17 ranked team in the NAIA convincingly behind great team offense and defense showing everyone why they will be a force to be reckoned with come playoff time.
Saint Xavier set the tone early in the game with a stifling defense and a potent offense to jump out to an early run that saw them lead 27-4 with just under 13 minutes left in the first half of the game.
For the rest of the first half, these teams would trade points with one another giving Saint Xavier a 58-33 lead at halftime. The second started just like the prior half as Saint Xavier would go on a 12-4 run to push their lead to 70-37.
For most of the second half, these teams would trade points as Saint Xavier’s defense would not allow for Robert Morris to go on any type of a sustainable run. The end of the second half almost mirrored the beginning of the half, as the #4 Cougars would close out the game, leading 96-60, on an 11-3 run to win the game 107-63 against the #17 Eagles.
Kara Krolicki had a fantastic offensive showing in this one shooting 10-13 from the field and 5-7 from beyond the arc to lead the game in scoring with 26 points. Morgan Stuut had another double-double in this game recording 19 points and 10 rebounds, and she would round out her game with five assists and two steals, proving herself to be a great contributor on both sides of the court.
Both Brittany Collins and Caitlin McMahon recorded 14 points, six rebounds, and three assists in the game. Mikayla Leyden also scored in double digits with 12 points as well as dish out five assists and collect five rebounds.The Cougars’ offense was clicking in the 107-63 blowout of the #17 ranked team in the NAIA.
The offense, as a team, was phenomenal in all aspects of the offensive game, shooting 56.3% from the field, 47.4% from the three point line, and 90% from the free throw line. They also scored 42 points in the paint and 16 fast break points.
The Cougars’ defense was stifling in this one as they held Robert Morris to shooting a paltry 30% from inside the three point line and an even worse 20.8% from behind it.
Saint Xavier also had a massive margin in rebounding, recording 50 total rebounds compared to 34 total rebounds for Robert Morris. The Cougars also forced the Eagles to commit 18 turnovers which resulted in 22 points off turnovers.
With the win, the Cougars are now 24-2 with a conference record of 15-0 with an opportunity to get another win against Trinity International on Valentine’s Day when the Saint Xavier women’s basketball team took on Trinity International University.
The Cougars would win this game in impressive fashion, dominating Trinity from the very beginning of the game and never even allowing them to come close to them.
The Cougars came out hot using three pointers and steals to jump out to an early 15-0 lead.
After allowing Trinity International to score five straight points, the Cougars would go on a 25-7 run to push their already sizable lead to 40-12 with six minutes left in the first half.
The half would stall though with both team combining to score a total of 16 points the rest of the way, resulting in Saint Xavier taking a 49-19 lead over Trinity International at the end of the first half.
Morgan Stuut lead the team in scoring with 14 points at the conclusion of the first half. At the beginning of the second half, the Cougars would trade points with Trinity, resembling what happened at the end of the first half.
Still, the Cougars would have a big lead at 70-29. Saint Xavier would go on one last run to put their stamp on this game with a 19-7 run to extend their lead to 89-36 and ultimately culminating in a 96-41 win for the #4 ranked team in the NAIA. Suzie Broski lead the team with 21 points in this game. Stuut once again had a great performance with 19 points, nine assists, and nine rebounds to come very close to recording a triple-double.
Caitlin McMahon had a good game as well, scoring eight points, grabbing six rebounds, and dishing out four assists in the game. Mikalya Leyden and Margaret Wilder both scored eight points in the game for the Cougars. Brittany Collins had seven points and six rebounds in the game.
The Cougars had a very balanced offensive attack in the game, with 12 out of the 13 players that suited up scoring at least three points in the game.
Another key factor to why Saint Xavier dominated this game is because of their dominant defense in the paint as they allowed Trinity International to score eight points in the paint. Saint Xavier forced Trinity to turn the ball over 22 times and scored 26 points off of those turnovers.
With the win, Saint Xavier’s record improves to 25-2 overall with an undefeated conference record of 16-0. The Cougars will look to continue their winning streak of 14 on the road against Roosevelt University on February 18.
John Romando
Senior Sports Editor