Late Comeback Falls Short at Valparaiso

Wednesday, December 16

Valparaiso, Ind.

2 p.m.

Xavier University

3-1,0-0Big East

Valparaiso

4-2,0-0MVC

Xavier

Valparaiso

12.16.20 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Season Stats (PDF)

Junior Carrie Gross matched her career high in scoring with 17 points

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

VALPARAISO, Ind. - Xavier women's basketball rallied from a late deficit at Valparaiso, but the comeback fell short, 88-83, on Wednesday afternoon. Xavier dropped to 3-1 on the year, while the Crusaders improved to 4-2.

Xavier trailed by 18 points (71-53) with 7:53 left in regulation before using a 26-11 run capped by a Kae Satterfield layup with 56 seconds on the clock, getting the Musketeers within three points (82-79). Valparaiso outscored Xavier down the stretch, 6-4, by going 1-for-1 from the floor and 3-for-4 from the foul line to seal the win.

FIRST HALF

• Xavier opened the game on a 9-2 run capped by a Nia Clark layup, forcing a Crusader timeout. The Musketeers led 14-2 with 3:55 left on the clock before Valparaiso closed the quarter on a 17-2 run, taking a 19-16 advantage.

• Valparaiso started the second quarter on a 12-2 run, taking a 31-18 lead and forcing a Xavier timeout. The Crusaders led by as many as 17 points (37-20) at the 5:51 mark and took a 41-29 advantage into the locker room.

• A'riana Gray led the Musketeers with 10 points, four rebounds and four steals. Nia Clark added nine points on 4-for-4 shooting, while Aaliyah Dunham had four assists.

• Valparaiso had five more rebounds (17-12) than Xavier and hit 52 percent (15-for-29) of it shot attempts with five 3-pointers. Xavier had four more steals (6-2) than the Crusaders.

SECOND HALF

• Xavier opened the second half by outscoring Valparaiso, 11-7, to close within eight points (48-40) with 5:01 on the clock. The Crusaders scored seven unanswered points to extend their lead to 55-40 at the 3:23 mark. Valparaiso maintained its double-figure lead for the remainder of the frame, taking a 66-51 advantage into the final 10-minutes of play.

• The Musketeers outscored the Crusaders, 32-22, in the fourth quarter but it wasn't enough to overcome the 18-point deficit at the 7:53 mark.

• A'riana Gray scored 12 points on 6-for-10 shooting in the second half, while Nia Clark and Carrie Gross both added 10 points.

NOTABLES

• A'riana Gray scored 22 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, nearly missing her 28th career double-double. She now has 50 career games in double figures, including 16 games with 20 or more points.

• A'riana Gray had a game-high six steals. The Musketeers had 13 steals in the game, their second game of the season with 12 or more steals.

• Nia Clark scored a career-high 19 points on 8-for-15 shooting. She added three rebounds and one steal.

• Carrie Gross matched her career high in scoring with 17 points on 5-for-7 shooting. She was also 7-for-8 from the foul line.

• Aaliyah Dunham matched her career high in assists with nine. She added five rebounds and two steals.

• Xavier won the battle on the glass, 35-29. The Musketeers also held a 28-15 advantage in points off of turnovers.

• Xavier made a season-high 23 free throws, connecting on 82.1 percent (23-for-28) of their trips to the line.

UP NEXT

• Xavier returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 19 at UConn. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. from Gampel Pavilion with the game being aired on SNY.

POSTGAME INTERVIEW