Gray, Owens Lead Musketeers to 94-81 Overtime Win Against North Alabama

Sunday, December 2

Cincinnati, Ohio

2 p.m.

Xavier University

6-1

North Alabama

7-1

OT 1

North Alabama

Xavier

Gray, Owens Lead Musketeers to 94-81 Overtime Win Against North Alabama

12.02.18 | Women's Basketball

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The two players combined for 44 points, 17 rebounds, 10 assists and five steals

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - A'riana Gray and Na'Teshia Owens led the Xavier women's basketball team to a 94-81 overtime win versus North Alabama on Sunday afternoon at Cintas Center. Xavier moved to 6-1 on the year, while North Alabama dropped to 7-1.

The two players combined for 44 points, 17 rebounds, 10 assists and five steals, while going 18-for-30 from the floor.

FIRST HALF

• Xavier hit 68.8 percent (11-for-16) of its shot attempts in the first quarter and got seven points from A'riana Gray to take a 24-20 advantage after one period. North Alabama also connected on 56.3 percent (9-for-16) of its shot attempts in the first quarter, paced by Brittany Panetti who was 7-for-7 from the floor for 14 points.

• The Musketeers opened the second quarter with a 4-0 run to take an eight-point lead, 28-20, at the 7:58 mark. Xavier had its largest lead of the half, 35-25, with 4:36 on the clock before the Lions used a 14-3 run to take their first lead of the game, 39-38. The two teams were knotted 41-41 at the break.

• A'riana Gray and Na'Teshia Owens both had nine points at halftime as the Musketeers posted a .566 (17-for-30) field-goal percentage. The Lions held a 16-13 advantage on the glass, while Gray had a game-high six rebounds.

SECOND HALF

• Xavier kept up the hot shooting in the third quarter, hitting 64.7 percent (11-for-17) of its shot attempts to outscore North Alabama, 27-20. The Musketeers took a 68-61 lead into the final quarter of play.

• The Lions batted back by using an 18-6 run to open the final quarter, taking a five-point (79-74) lead with 1:49 left in regulation. Xavier scored five unanswered points capped by an Aaliyah Dunham three pointer with 23 seconds left on the clock to send the game into overtime.

• Lauren Wasylson scored 11 points in the second half on 4-for-4 shooting to pace the Musketeers.

OVERTIME

• Xavier outscored North Alabama, 15-2, in overtime to pull away for the victory. The Musketeers were 3-for-4 from the floor and 8-for-13 from the foul line in the period.

• Defensively, Xavier limited the Lions to a .100 field-goal percentage (1-for-10) and forced three turnovers.

NOTABLES

• Sophomore A'riana Gray posted her second double-double in as many games and fourth of the season, scoring 21 points (9-for-18 shooting) and pulling down 14 rebounds. She now has five career double-doubles and two career games with 20 or more points. Gray also had a career-high five steals.

• Xavier had 10 steals and forced 21 turnovers, converting the miscues into a season-high 26 points. The Musketeers have posted 10 or more steals in four games this season.

• Junior Na'Teshia Owens scored a career-high 23 points on 9-for-12 shooting. She added a team and career-high seven assists to go along with three rebounds.

• Xavier had two players with 20 or more points in the same game for the first time since Dec. 31, 2015 against Villanova (Maddison Blackwell and Raeshan Gaffney). The Musketeers have now had five players score 20 or more points in a game this season (only had two all of last season).

• Sophomore Aaliyah Dunham matched her career high in scoring with 16 points. She was 5-for-9 from the floor and added five assists.

• Freshman Lauren Wasylson finished with 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting with four 3-pointers. She added two rebounds.

• Xavier posted a season-high .571 field-goal percentage (36-for-63), the team's best mark since Feb. 11, 2018 (.600 vs DePaul).

• Xavier won the battle on the glass, 37-35, and scored 11 more second-chance points (11-0). The game featured nine ties and eight lead changes.

• The Musketeers also had five more blocks (9-4) than the Lions. The nine blocks are the most in a game by a BIG EAST team this season.

• The 94 points are the most points in a game by Xavier since Feb. 21, 2011 (102-51 win vs La Salle). Xavier has now scored over 90 points in a game twice this season (91-57 win over Chicago State on Nov. 7).

• Xavier dished out a season-high 23 assists, the most assists in a game since posting 24 against North Florida on Nov. 22, 2016.

UP NEXT

• Xavier returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 9 against Delaware State. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. from Cintas Center.

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