The temperature outside has turned ice cold, but Saint Xavier University Women’s Basketball team is hotter than ever. The Cougars lost their last game in Nov. to then No. 16 Siena Heights University but have not dropped a game since.
The Cougars continued their amazing play on Saturday with a win at Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.).
A dominant 117-80 victory was highlighted by a record-breaking performance by junior forward Morgan Stuut, who continues to etch her name in SXU history books.
Stuut finished with an astonishing 40 points, 23 rebounds and 11 assists to break a couple school records.
The 40 points broke the school record, the 17 made field goals was also a school record and the 23 rebounds tied a school record for rebounds in a single game, a record that Stutt had set previously.
Junior guard Suzie Broski also played well, shooting her way to a career-best 30 points, and senior guard Niara Harris came off the bench to chip in another 17 points off of 7 for 9 shooting from the field.
The team as a whole played extremely well, offensively shooting a scorching 59 percent from the field. They also played solid defense, forcing the Tigers into 33 turnovers.
This team has looked great over the last month and a half going on a 12 game winning streak destroying their opponents by a staggering 20.3 points per game.
In fact, during this streak the Cougars have won only one game by single digits, a six-point nail-biter against then No. 6 Roosevelt University that was decided in the final 17 seconds with six clutch free throws by the Cougars.
During their hot streak the team also had big wins in several tournaments during the month of Dec.
The first tournament saw the Cougars take a trip to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. for the Florida Trip Cruizn Classic.
They defeated two ranked opponents during the trip both by double digits. In their first game, they beat then No. 9 ranked Oklahoma Baptist University 88-74. Senior guard Jordan Brandt led the team with 21 points including making all for of her three point attempts.
Broski was the second leading scorer for the Cougars with 17 points on 50 percent (7-for-14) from the field, and Stuut had a nice game with 14 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.
The Cougars’ next opponent was then No. 19 ranked Briar Cliff University from Iowa and the Cougars turned this one into a route from the start. The team jumped out to a 20-6 lead on their way to a comfortable 93-72 victory.
Broski put up 21 points on 10 of 17 shooting from the field and Stuut had another spectacular performance finishing with a triple-double 17 points, 16 rebounds and 12 assists.
Red-shirt freshmen Sidney Prasse had 19 points and hit five three-pointers during the game, and guard Jordan Brandt also finished in double figures with 12 points and distributed five assists.
The Cougars played suffocating and unselfish basketball forcing 20 steals and shared the ball finishing the game with 30 assists.
Next up for the team was the SXU Holiday Classic at the Shannon Center in located in the frigidly beautiful city of Chicago. Their first game was against Ashford University Saints.
The Cougars stumbled coming out the gate but regained their footing to take 43-34 advantage at halftime. Led by Stuut’s 32 points and 10 rebounds, the Cougars won a hard fought contest 76-66.
Broski had 14 points and five rebounds and senior forward Chrissy Heine provided a nice lift off the bench finishing with six points and two nice blocks.
After dispatching the Saints the Cougars took on Lourdes University on the last day of the tournament. The team finished strong demolishing Lourdes University 70-47.
Stuut, the former Three Rivers High School basketball allstar, put up her second double-double in two days finishing with 16 points, 19 rebounds, and four steals.
The team played lock down defense all game snatching 12 steals and forcing 18 turnovers, which generated 29 points on the afternoon.
Harris came off the bench to score 13 points off of 6-for-7 shooting from the field and Broski finished with 10 points and four rebounds.
The blow out capped a perfect 8-0 month for the Cougars and the team has stayed hot in the month of January winning all four of their games by double digits.
The No. 8-ranked Cougars will try to win their 13th straight game against Calumet College of Saint Joseph on Jan. 22nd and keep their home record perfect.
The game is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. at Bob Hallberg Court in the Shannon Center tonight, followed by the men’s game at 7 p.m.
Damone Griffin
Sports Editor
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