SXU huddles up before a game SXU Athletics
The SXU women’s basketball team finished their season with a split between their last two games, beating Saint Ambrose and falling to University of Saint Francis.
Their regular season record is 16-11, going 14-6 in conference play, finishing in third place in CCAC standings.
During their ‘Senior Night’ game, the Cougars played a strong game against SAU, putting up great numbers in the fourth quarter to send the Fighting Bees home with a loss.
Two players finished with 20-plus points, sophomore guard Jaidn Green racking up 24 and junior guard Aaliyahna Derrell dropping 23.
Against Ambrose, Saint Xavier continued playing with a pressure-filled defense and smart shot taking. Unfortunately, this was not the story against USF.
The Fighting Saints kept the pressure on the Cougars, defeating them 78-57.
SXU’s offense struggled mightily in the second and fourth quarters, scoring just eight points in each.
Green once again led the offense, this time with 15 points; junior forward Alyssa Crenshaw was right behind her with 13 points.
The Cougars also lost their CCAC Quarterfinal matchup against Holy Cross College 87-78.
Based on Saint Xavier’s record last year (20-9), there may be a desire to jump to a conclusion that there was a fall-off this year, but that isn’t the case.
With former SXU player Sidney Lovitsch taking over as interim head coach, this is the third head coach the Cougars have had in four seasons; inconsistency at the top brings many obstacles.
The hurdles this team faced throughout the season and have proved over and over again they have what it takes to be a dominant team.
Whether Saint Xavier was battling through injuries or finding ways to gel on the court, they stuck together and battled as a unit to get where they are now.
Lovitsch said who this team is right now would undoubtedly beat who they were in the first week, and it’s hard to disagree with that.
Although the record may not be what they wanted it to be, this team has shown they are a force to be reckoned with.