What an eventful few days for senior forward Morgan Stuut!
Not only was Stuut named the CCAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for Oct. 27 through Nov. 2, but she also competed with her team in the 15th Annual Cattle Classic out at Concordia University (Neb.).
Stuut was named the CCAC Player of the Year both her sophomore and junior years at Saint Xavier.
And this award was a good start in her conquest for a three-peat in that category.
Now, one would think that Stuut was already tired of winning awards and accolades so early in the season, but apparently not!
Immediately following the Cougars overtime victory on Nov. 8 against Doane (Neb.). Stuut was named to the five-member All-Cattle Classic team.
While Stuut was putting on her own clinic in the two-day tournament this weekend out in Seward, Nebraska, her teammates were right behind her doing the same.
Taking a look at Friday night’s game, the Cougars had a pretty dismal showing on the court against the hosts of the tournament, Concordia.
They went 22 for 72, giving them a 31 shooting percentage throughout the whole game.
And despite the early 10-3 lead, Saint Xavier fell behind quickly as Concordia used a 19-6 run to get ahead 31-19 in the second quarter.
And once the second half rolled around, the Cougars were too far behind to even think of making a comeback.
This was a let down for the Hallberg and company since the team had some pretty impressive individual performances.
Stuut had a total of sixteen points and sixteen rebounds in thirty-two minutes of play.
But not even junior Caitlin McMahon’s double-double or sophomore guards Sidney Prasse and Mikayla Leyden’s combined twenty points could help.
The Cougars lost to Concordia with a final score of 81 – 64, giving the team their first loss of the season and no momentum going into Saturday morning’s game.
But what was to blame?
Was it the twenty-one points that Concordia racked up off SXU turnovers? The low shooting percentage?
Or the other twenty-one points that Concordia racked up from their bench players?
It could be any or all three of those reasons, but whatever the case may be, there was a happier ending to the second day of play for the Cougars the next morning.
Chalk it up to a good night’s sleep, or wanting to avenge their loss, the women’s team played as if their season solely depended on this game against Doane.
There were seventeen lead changes and thirteen tie scores throughout the course of the game, with each team fighting as hard as they could to come out on top.
Stuut had twenty-two points, sixteen rebounds, and six assists throughout her forty-five minutes of playing time. Her fellow senior, guard Suzie Broski, had a stellar game as well.
After a pretty quiet outing on Friday, Broski must have eaten her Wheaties for breakfast on Saturday because that girl was on fire with a total of nineteen points.
Leyden also brought it for the Cougars with ten points and four steals. Leyden seems to have matured immensely since her freshman season, which concluded just a few short months ago.
But the star of the game definitely was freshman guard, Kara Krolicki.
In the final minute of overtime, SXU and Doane switched one point leads multiple times and the latter led by one with only ten seconds left.
Facing defeat, the Cougars drove down the court, looking for a close range shot.
Thankfully the women found Krolicki at the top of the arc with the clock ticking down. Krolicki sunk a three, giving the Cougars the 92-90 victory.
To say this game was a nailbitter is an understatement. But especially after the loss to Concordia, the Cougars were willing to take any win that they could get.
With the win against Doane, the Cougars improved to 3 – 1 this season. Hopefully the ladies can keep up their momentum that they have garnered so far this season and use it to propel them to victory on the last legs of their road trip.
Up next for the women’s basketball team is a game against Trinity International University on Nov. 12.
The Cougars are hoping that their overtime victory against Doane can keep their momentum going and lead them to a win in their first CCAC conference play of the season against TIU.
They finish up their road trip at Saint Ambrose Univeristy out in Iowa before coming home for their first game at SXU of the season, playing against conference rivals, Cardinal Stritch University.
All of us here at the Xavierite are sending good vibes their way!
Torie Bolster
Sports Editor
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