Musketeers Upend Utah, 70-63, in Season Opener

Thursday, November 7

Cincinnati, Ohio

7 p.m.

Xavier University

1-0,0-0Big East

Utah

0-2,0-0Pac-12

Utah

Xavier

Musketeers Upend Utah, 70-63, in Season Opener

11.07.19 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score Season Stats Photos

Junior forward A'riana Gray posted her 17th career double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 14 rebounds

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Junior A'riana Gray posted her 17th career double-double (14 points, 14 rebounds) on Thursday night, leading the Xavier women's basketball team to a 70-63 win over Utah in the team's season opener. The win was the first head coaching victory for new head coach Melanie Moore.

Xavier moved to 1-0 on the year, while Utah dropped to 0-2.

FIRST HALF

• Xavier jumped out to an 18-8 lead at the 2:01 mark on a Carrie Gross three pointer for what would be the only double-figure lead of the game for either team. The Musketeers led 21-15 after one quarter of action.

• Utah responded by outscoring the Musketeers, 14-7, in the second quarter to take a 29-28 lead into the locker room. Xavier only shot 17.6 percent from the floor (3-for-17) in the second quarter.

• A'riana Gray led Xavier with seven points and six rebounds at intermission. Aaliyah Dunham and Carrie Gross added five points, while Courtney Prenger had seven rebounds. The Musketeers held a 21-20 advantage on the glass.

SECOND HALF

• The Utes opened the second half on a 13-9 run, taking their largest lead of the game, 42-37, at the 6:04 mark. Xavier responded by scoring eight unanswered points capped by an Aaliyah Dunham free throw to regain the lead, 45-42, at the 2:31 mark. Utah outscored Xavier by one (20-19) in the third frame to make the score, 49-47, with 10 minutes left in regulation.

• The Musketeers opened the final quarter on an 11-4 run capped by an A'riana Gray basket to regain a lead they would never relinquish. Utah got within two points, 65-63, with 45 seconds left in regulation before the Musketeers sealed the victory from the charity stripe. Aaliyah Dunham went 5-for-6 from the foul line down the stretch to put the game away.

• Lauren Wasylson scored eight points on 2-for-2 shooting in the fourth quarter. A'riana Gray scored five points and grabbed four rebounds in the final quarter.

NOTABLES

• Junior A'riana Gray picked up where she left off last year, posting her first double-double of the season - and the 17th of her career - as she scored 14 points to go along with a game-high 14 rebounds. She finished the night 6-for-15 from the floor, while adding two steals and two assists.

• Aaliyah Dunham matched her career high in scoring as she posted a game-high 16 points. The junior guard has now scored 16 points in a game five times in her career. She added two assists on the night.

• Sophomore Lauren Wasylson rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11 points on 3-for-6 shooting. The guard made three shots from behind the arc to go along with three assists.

• Freshman Courtney Prenger added nine points and eight rebounds in her Xavier debut. She also recorded a team-high three steals in 28 minutes of action off the bench.

• Sophomore Carrie Gross added seven rebounds and seven points, while junior Deja Ross chipped in five points and five rebounds.

• Xavier held a 44-36 advantage on the glass and scored nine more second-chance points (14-5). Xavier also held a 34-16 advantage in points in the paint. The game featured 11 lead chances and seven ties.

• Xavier moved to 20-0 in home openers at Cintas Center.

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