Second-Half Rally Falls Short Against Middle Tennessee

Sunday, December 6

CINCINNATI, OHIO

2 P.M.

Xavier University

5-2

Middle Tennessee

4-3

Middle Tennessee

Xavier

Second-Half Rally Falls Short Against Middle Tennessee

12.06.15 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Blue Raiders snap Musketeers four-game win streak

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier hit 50 percent of its shot attempts in the second half and outscored Middle Tennessee State in the third period, but the Blue Raiders closed the game on a 15-5 run to pull away for a 62-53 victory.

The loss snapped a four-game win streak for Xavier as the Musketeers moved to 5-2 on the year. MTSU improves to 4-3 on the year.

Aliyah Zantt led the Musketeers with 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting, while Raeshaun Gaffney added nine points. Kayla Davis added eight points and Jenna Crittendon and Briana Glover both finished with seven.

Xavier was outrebounded for only the second time this season as the Blue Raiders held a 42-28 advantage on the glass. Olivia Jones pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds, while Imani Partlow led Xavier with six.

MTSU jumped out to an early 6-2 lead before back-to-back baskets by Anniina Äijänen and Crittendon knotted the game at six. The Blue Raiders used a 14-8 run over the next eight minutes to take their largest lead of the game, 20-12, with 5:59 left before intermission.

A Davis layup with 25 seconds left before halftime made the score 28-23 at the break. Davis led the Musketeers with seven points at intermission, while Partlow had a team-high five rebounds. MTSU held a 22-18 advantage on the glass at the half.

Xavier opened the second stanza on a 13-6 run, going 6-for-9 from the floor, to take its first lead of the game, 36-34, with just over a minute left in the third period. A Brea Edwards three pointer with four seconds remaining in the quarter gave MTSU a 40-39 lead. XU outscored MTSU, 16-12, in the third period.

Gaffney made a layup with 4:55 left in regulation to give the Musketeers a 48-47 advantage before the late run by the Blue Raiders sealed the victory. The second half had three ties and 10 lead changes.

Jones led MTSU with a game-high 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Edwards added 13 points. Ty Petty dished out a game-high seven assists and Alex Johnson added 12 points.

Xavier scored 24 points off the bench and had 10 more fastbreak points (10-0) than MTSU. The Musketeers were 8-for-12 from the foul line, while MTSU was 8-for-8.

The Musketeers return to action on Wednesday, Dec. 9 against Radford. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. from Cintas Center.