Musketeers Fall in Closing Seconds of BIG EAST Tournament Opening Round

Saturday, March 5

Chicago, Ill.

5:30 p.m.

Xavier University

17-13

No. 9 seed Butler

10-20

Butler

Xavier

Musketeers Fall in Closing Seconds of BIG EAST Tournament Opening Round

03.05.16 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Butler tops Xavier, 48-47, at McGrath-Phillips Arena

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CHICAGO - No. 8 seed Xavier women's basketball had three opportunities to score in the final 14 seconds, but all three attempts fell short as the Musketeers were defeated by No. 9 seed Butler, 48-47, in the opening round of the BIG EAST Tournament.

The Musketeers moved to 17-13 on the year, while the Bulldogs improved to 10-20. Butler snapped a two-game losing streak in the series as the Musketeers swept the Bulldogs during the regular season.

Raeshaun Gaffney had a layup blocked with 14 seconds left in regulation, forcing Xavier to foul on the ensuing possession. Following back-to-back missed free throws by Brittany Ward, Briana Glover had her shot blocked by Ward.

Gaffney took an off balanced shot as timed expired on the next play, but the attempt fell short as Butler escaped with the victory.

Jenna Crittendon led the Musketeers with 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting. The senior guard was 4-for-6 from behind the arc.

Glover added 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting with 11 of her points coming in the second half. Gaffney and Marquia Turner both finished with seven points.

Butler held 37-36 advantage on the glass, led by Blaire Langlois and Ward who each had eight. Gaffney led the Musketeers with six rebounds.

The first half saw the Musketeers held to a season-low 15 points and .207 field-goal percentage as Xavier trailed 25-14 at the break. Crittendon scored a team-high 11 points in the first half on 4-for-6 shooting with three 3-pointers.

Xavier held a 20-17 advantage on the glass at the break with Maddison Blackwell, Jada Byrd and Glover each pulling down three. Brittany Ward led Butler with four rebounds, while Blaire Langlois paced the Bulldogs with 11 points.

Glover scored six straight points to open the second half as the Musketeers outscored Butler, 21-9, in the third quarter to regain the lead, 36-33. Xavier hit 42.9 percent of its shot attempts in the quarter.

The fourth quarter featured six lead changes and two ties. Xavier took its final lead, 47-46, on an Aliyah Zantt three pointer before a Tori Schickel layup on the next play gave the Bulldogs the 48-47 advantage. All told, the game had 15 ties and five lead changes.

Langlois scored a game-high 20 points on 8-for-15 shooting for Butler. Ward and Schickel both added eight points.