On Saturday, November 12, Saint Xavier played their first home contest of the season against the 8th ranked Panthers of Davenport university. The 6th overall ranked Cougars were up for their toughest challenge to date.
It was The Brittany Collins Show at the Shannon Center on Saturday afternoon, as the junior center managed career highs in rebounds and points to help the women’s basketball team defeat Davenport 93-72. Collins finished the game with 26 points on 12-of-19 shooting, 14 rebounds and four steals.
The Cougars wanted to establish a certain tempo on offense early. It consisted of running the floor in transition and feeding Collins inside. Senior guard Mikayla Leyden did well to create a consistent pace with the ball in her hands and the game plan to feed Collins allowed Leyden to finish with a team high nine assists.
Leyden finished the afternoon with 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting. Freshman forward Chanel Fanter got an opportunity to start on Saturday and she took advantage.
In 30 minutes of playing time, Fanter finished with 15 points and shot over 50 percent from the field. Overall, the Cougars shot 46 percent from the floor and 31 percent from behind the arc.
The scariest part of this Cougars team may be their versatility. There are so many ways this team can beat their opponents and Saturday was a prime example of that.
Saint Xavier often lives by the three-point shot, as sharp shooters litter this roster. Going into Saturday, the women were shooting an unthinkable 54 percent from three.
Against Davenport, the Cougars opted to stay away from the three and instead attacked Davenport at the rim. Collins, Leyden, and Fanter contributed to Saint Xavier outscoring Davenport in the paint, 62-40.
However, the Cougars did suffer a scare in this game. Freshman guard Maddie Welter, who is averaging the second most points scored per game on her team with 16, suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter.
Saint Xavier hopes Welter can return for their next game on Wednesday, November 16. The Cougars will be at home for the remainder of the week starting with Trinity International on Wednesday and Indiana University-South Bend on Saturday, November 19.
Mike Rankin
Senior Sports Editor