The Saint Xavier women’s basketball team has been impressive to say the least throughout the past month; and they have just been getting better. The next team that stood in front of them was Robert Morris University.Robert Morris and Saint Xavier have always seemed to play each other very tough. The two teams are extremely physical when they match up against each other and this contest was no different.
The last time that Saint Xavier played Robert Morris was in the final regular season game last year, which Saint Xavier ultimately won to become the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Conference champions. The Cougars came out in last Wednesday’s game hoping for the same sort of results.
Both teams seemed to play each other pretty tough in the first half, as both teams had solid runs of their own. However, it was Saint Xavier who had the 37-30 lead at halftime.
Saint Xavier held tough in the second half as they pushed their lead to 44-30 at one point in the game. Robert Morris did cut the lead to just two points, but it was good defense by the Cougars that held Robert Morris down. Suzie Broski came up with a huge game, going 12-15 from the floor and scoring 25 points. Morgan Stuut also had another impressive game as she collected her 14th double-double of the season scoring 11 points and bringing down 14 rebounds.
Another person who had an impressive for Saint Xavier was junior point guard Jordan Brandt. Brandt scored 11 points and went a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc. It was also Brandt’s 21st birthday.Saint Xavier ended up going on to defeat Robert Morris by a final score of 71-66. It was Saint Xavier’s 12th victory in a row and they were ready to take on their next opponent, Calumet College of St. Joseph (Ind.).
This past Saturday Saint Xavier took on Calumet College of St. Joseph and was looking for their 13th win in a row. The Cougars celebrated yet another birthday as senior point guard Romisha Taylor turned 22 years of age and she made every minute of the game count.
Saint Xavier showed their dominance yet again in this one, as they led 32-14 at halftime. And if that was not a big enough lead, the Cougars came out in the second half and really put the game away. Saint Xavier held a 47-16 lead over the Crimson Wave with 15:23 remaining in the ballgame.
Everyone for this Cougar squad chipped in with the scoring. Both the starters and the bench players played very good games and led Saint Xavier to yet another big win, 76-40. Broski had another solid effort as she scored 17 points. Stuut racked up 12 points, 7 rebounds, and three blocks. Defensively, Brandt and Taylor caused havoc all afternoon for the Crimson Wave. Both teammates recorded five steals each for the team.
It was a very well played ball game for Saint Xavier University as they extended their winning streak to 13 straight games. Next up on the schedule for Saint Xavier is Judson University. That game will be played Wednesday January 30 at 5:30 p.m. There are so many reasons for Saint Xavier being on this 13 game winning streak, but there are some factors that are greater than others. “The main reason for our 13 game winning streak was our motivation from our early losses. We knew we were a better team than what we had shown, so we all came together the night before we left for Florida and lit a fire under our tushes,” said Stuut.
It has been a great time to be a Cougar basketball fan and the girls hope that the wins keep coming. However, they are realistic about the fact that they will need to continue to play well down the rest of the stretch. The game next Saturday is against Purdue- Calumet, a team the Cougars lost to 85-70 in the first meeting against them.
“We have been playing so well as a team these past 13 games; but that winning streak isn’t going to mean much if we can’t win these next five conference games. We didn’t play well against Purdue-Calumet last time, so I think we are all very psyched to show them how far we have come since then. If we play like we’ve been playing, there should be a good outcome on Saturday,” said Broski.
The girls are very focused right now and are playing some of their best basketball. They have the right mindset and are going to continue to impress down the stretch, so do not miss a moment of it.
Come on out and support your Cougars as they continue on towards the postseason.
By: Brandon Swanson
Sports Correspondent
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