Xavier University Athletics
Xavier University
12-6, 4-3
Georgetown
4-14, 2-4
Late Run Lifts Xavier Over Georgetown, 63-55
01.16.15 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 16, 2015
Box Score | Box Score 
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CINCINNATI - Xavier women's basketball used an 11-2 run over the final three minutes of play to defeat Georgetown, 63-55, on Friday night at Cintas Center. The Musketeers captured their seventh straight home win, moving to 9-1 on the year at Cintas Center.
Defensively, the Musketeers (12-6, 4-3 BIG EAST) held the Hoyas (4-14, 2-4 BIG EAST) to zero field goals in the final three minutes of play with Georgetown only hitting two free throws with three seconds remaining in regulation to snap the 11-0 run by Xavier.
Xavier led 8-4 in the opening minutes of the game with Raeshaun Gaffney scoring the first four points for the Musketeers. Georgetown hit its next four baskets to take 12-10 advantage at the 12:50 mark.
The first period had five ties, with two coming over the next three minutes, before a Gaffney free throw with 8:09 on the clock put the Musketeers back on top, 18-17. The Hoyas responded with a 16-4 run to take their largest lead of the half, 33-22, with 55 seconds remaining before intermission. Xavier hit its next three shots to get within four, 33-29, before a Jade Martin layup as time expired made the halftime score, 35-29.
Gaffney led all scorers at the break with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, while Dorothy Adomako paced Georgetown with 12 points. The Hoyas had four 3-pointers in the first period after only averaging 4.2 per game on the year. Both squads had 18 rebounds at the half with three XU players in Anniina Äijänen, Jenna Crittendon and Leah Schaefer pulling down three each.
Briana Glover scored the first five points of a 7-0 run to open the second stanza for the Musketeers as they took a 36-35 lead with 16:46 on the clock. Neither team led by more than three points over the next 10 minutes with the game having its eighth and final tie, 47-47, at the 5:49 mark.
Aliyah Zantt scored five straight points for Xavier, her only points on the night, to put the Musketeers ahead, 52-47, with 4:42 left in regulation. Georgetown knocked down its next three shots to take its final lead of the night, 53-52, at the 3:06 mark before the Musketeers closed the game on an 11-2 run to seal the 63-55 victory. XU was 2-of-2 from the floor and 7-of-9 from the foul line in the closing minutes.
Gaffney scored a game-high 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting, while Maleeka Kynard rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11 points. Crittendon finished with eight and Glover had seven, all coming in the second half. Crittendon and Kynard also dished out a team-high four assists.
Georgetown won the battle on the glass, 38-37, with Schaefer pulling down a game-high nine rebounds for XU. Gaffney also had five rebounds in the win.
Adomako led the Hoyas with 18 points on 9-of-14 shooting to go along with five rebounds and five assists. Brittany Horne added 10 points and Logan Battle chipped in nine.
Xavier was 18-of-29 from the charity stripe on the night, including a 15-of-22 clip in the second period. Kynard was 7-of-8 from the foul line and Gaffney was 6-of-10.
The Musketeers return to action on Sunday, Jan. 18 at 12 p.m. against Villanova. The game will be nationally televised on FOX Sports 1.
