SXU Athletics
This is the year.
No, Cub fans, not for the North Siders. (Then again, with Joe Maddon in control of the reins… No, stay on topic, Tim.)
This is the year for the Saint Xavier women’s basketball team to win the whole darn thing.
After a first-round exit from the NAIA national tournament last season and second-round departures in 2012 and 2013, the Cougars are primed to go far this season.
Granted, it has only been two games for this batch of Cougars, but the results speak for themselves.
Saint Xavier participated in the Bethel College Classic this weekend, and the first opponent was no slouch.
The Cougars were tasked with a contest against the preseason No. 1-ranked team in the NAIA, the University of Saint Francis (Indiana) Cougars.
Saint Francis went 38-0 last season and won the NAIA Division II women’s basketball national championship in 2014 against the team the Cougars lost to in the tournament, the College of the Ozarks.
The Saint Xavier Cougars, who checked in the preseason poll at No. 6, made sure Saint Francis would not repeat its undefeated season with a 73-72 victory on Friday.
Down 72-70 with 12 seconds remaining, head coach Bob Hallberg called a timeout to draw up a play.
With just a second left, sophomore guard Sidney Prasse drained a three-pointer to take a 73-72 lead.
The finish was eerily similar to last year’s season-opener. Prasse put away a three-pointer at the University of Illinois at Chicago with two seconds remaining to walk away with an 80-79 victory.
Saint Francis attempted a catch-and-shoot play after calling a timeout, but the shot did not get away in time.
Senior forward Morgan Stuut led the team against Saint Francis with 24 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.
Junior forward Caitlin McMahon shot 50% from the floor. She finished with 13 points and five rebounds in 22 minutes.
With the graduation of Jordan Brandt after last season, freshman Kara Krolicki got the start in the backcourt.
Krolicki also reached double digits with 12 points, but she was just 1-for-7 from three-point range.
Saint Xavier struggled as a whole from beyond the arc, shooting 26.1% for the game.
But when the Cougars needed that triple at the end of the game, Prasse was there to provide it.
The Cougars concluded the Bethel College Classic with a matchup against the hosts on Saturday.
That game was not quite as close as the Saint Francis contest, with Saint Xavier beating the Bethel Pilots 112-67.
In the offensive explosion, the points were spread out. Seven different Cougars scored in the double digits.
Freshman guard Casey McMahon led Saint Xavier with her 18 points.
Krolicki and sophomore guard Mikayla Leyden each finished with 14 points in the contest.
Stuut had 13 points against the Pilots. She also led the team with 13 rebounds, seven of which were offensive boards.
Caitlin McMahon and seniors Suzie Broski and Margaret Wildner each contributed 12 points in the offensive effort.
The Cougars were also much more lethal from beyond the arc, finishing the game at 47.6% from three-point land.
Saint Xavier was also dominant on the defensive side of things. The Cougars came down with 38 rebounds to the Pilots’ 22.
Saint Xavier also managed six blocks and 15 steals as a team during the contest.
With that defensive output and the offensive advantage—including points in the paint, second-chance points and points off the bench—the Cougars have made the most of their two early season opportunities.
But the Cougars know it is just the start to a season filled with high expectations..
With seniors Stuut, Wildner, Broski and Maloree Johnson gone after this season, this could be the best chance the Cougars have had in years to earn a national championship.
The quest to do just that continues on the road for a while. The Cougars will be in Nebraska Friday and Saturday for the Concordia University Cattle Classic.
That tournament will include matchups against No. 9-ranked Concordia—another early season challenge—and Doane College.
Tim Carroll
Senior Sports Editor