Xavier University Athletics
Xavier University
Fordham
Boothe and Granderson Lift XU Past Fordham
02.10.06 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 10, 2006
NEW YORK - Senior Wooden Award Candidate Tara Boothe poured in a game-high 27 points and junior Suntana Granderson added 22 to lead the Xavier University women's basketball team past Fordham 78-70 on Friday evening at Rose Hill Gym in the Bronx. With the win, XU improves to 16-7 on the year and 7-5 in Atlantic 10 play. The Rams slip to 7-15, 2-9.
Granderson, who had been mired in a slump for the last several games, broke out with a 4-of-9 shooting performance from beyond the 3-point arc. Boothe was 9-of-18 from the field and was a perfect 9-of-9 from the charity stripe. She also snatched a team-high eight rebounds.
Junior guard Miranda Green scored 15 points and was 2-of-4 from deep. Green also took care of business from the free throw line, going 7-of-8 on the night.
XU shot a season-best 91.7 percent (22-of-24) from the free throw line and held its own against the rugged Fordham front line. XU and FU were even in rebounds, 35-35, and the Musketeers held a 13-6 advantage in second chance points.
Xavier led by 12 points, 63-51, and was seemingly in control of the contest after Boothe connected on a pair of technical free throws with 8:30 remaining in the contest.
However, Fordham heated up from beyond the 3-point arc and charged out to a 14-2 run to knot the score up at 65 with 4:20 left in regulation. Fordham hit on four consecutive 3-pointers to tie the score.
Xavier responded with a 5-0 spurt and took a 70-65 lead when Boothe converted on an old-fashioned 3-point play at the 3:30 mark. Fordham would answer though and tied the score up again, 70-70, with 2:50 to go when Lisa Carrol hit on a floater at the 2:50 mark.
XU would clamp down for the rest of the way, not allowing another point and iced it from the free throw line in the games closing stages.
Fordham went 10-of-22 from deep on Friday and was a scintillating 6-of-12 from three-point land in the second half. Heather Westrol led the way for Fordham with 17 points.
Fordham jumped out of the gate and led by as many as five, 16-11, with 9:50 left in the first half. Xavier regained the lead 2:30 later when Green drilled a 3-pointer to cap a 7-0 Xavier run and giving the Musketeers an 18-16 edge.
The next stage of the game was back-and-forth as the lead changed hands on seven consecutive possessions. The seventh lead change came thanks to a Granderson three-ball, giving XU a 29-28 edge it would not relinquish.
The Musketeers ended the half on an 11-3 run and took a 37-31 lead into the break.
Xavier returns to action when the team travels to Philadelphia on Sunday to take on La Salle. Game time is set for 1:00 p.m. at the Tom Gola Arena.
