Late Rally Falls Short at Marquette, 74-69

Sunday, February 14

Milwaukee, Wis.

2:30 P.M.

Xavier University

17-8, 8-6

Marquette University

13-13, 8-7

Xavier

Marquette

02.14.16 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Raeshaun Gaffney led Xavier with 20 points and 11 rebounds

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

MILWAUKEE - The Musketeers used a 14-3 run to close the game at Marquette, but Xavier ran out of time to pull off the comeback as the Golden Eagles held on for a 74-69 victory.

Marquette led 51-48 at the end of the third quarter before opening the final stanza on a 17-2 run to take its largest lead of the afternoon, 68-50, with 4:47 left in regulation. Xavier chipped away at the deficit with the late run, fueled by 10 fourth-quarter points from Raeshaun Gaffney, before the Golden Eagles held on for their seventh straight home victory.

Xavier dropped to 17-8 (8-6 BIG EAST), while Marquette moved to 13-13 (8-7 BIG EAST). The Golden Eagles also broke the tie in the series as Marquette improved to 8-7 in the all-time series.

Gaffney finished with a game-high 20 points and a team-high 11 rebounds, her first career double-double. The junior guard added three assists and two steals.

Aliyah Zantt added 18 points, while Briana Glover and Maddison Blackwell scored 16 and 12 to round out the double-figure scorers. Marquia Turner dished out a game-high five assists as the Musketeers finished with two more assists than Marquette, 18-16.

Xavier won the battle on the glass, 40-38, with Zantt adding six rebounds for the Musketeers. Defensively, the Musketeers also had three more steals (10-7) than Marquette, paced by Zantt's game-high four.

The first quarter had four ties and two lead changes with neither team leading by more than two possessions. Marquette outscored Xavier, 16-7, in the opening minutes of the second quarter to take their largest lead of the half, 33-21, before taking a 35-27 lead into the locker room.

Xavier opened the second half on a 14-4 run capped by a Gaffney layup to give the Musketeers a 41-39 lead. Marquette responded by scoring nine unanswered points on 4-for-4 shooting to push its lead back out to seven, 48-41. The Musketeers scored the final five points of the third quarter to get within three, 51-48.

Allazia Blockton and Natisha Hiedeman both scored 18 points to lead the Golden Eagle offense. Blockton also added 13 rebounds, while McKayla Yentz chipped in 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Xavier finished the game 13-for-18 from the foul line, while Marquette was 8-for-15. The Musketeers hit 40 percent of their shot attempts and the Golden Eagles posted a .475 field-goal percentage, including a .536 clip in the second half.

The Musketeers return to action on Friday, Feb. 19 vs. St. John's. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. from Cintas Center.