Upset Bid Falls Short vs Red Storm on Friday Afternoon

Friday, March 4

Uncasville, Conn.

1:30 p.m.

Xavier University

No. 7 seed St. John's

Upset Bid Falls Short vs Red Storm on Friday Afternoon

03.04.22 | Women's Basketball

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Ayanna Townsend finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

UNCASVILLE, Conn. - Ayanna Townsend matched her career high in scoring on Friday afternoon, scoring 18 points in Xavier's 76-69 BIG EAST Tournament loss to St. John's. Xavier finished the 2021-22 season with a 9-21 (4-16 BIG EAST) record.

The Red Storm (12-18, 7-12 BIG EAST) entered the game as the No. 7 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament, while Xavier was the No. 10 seed.

FIRST HALF

• St. John's led by as many as eight point (33-25) with 5:33 left in the second quarter before the Musketeers closed the half on a 17-4 run, taking a 42-37 lead into the locker room. Xavier outscored the Red Storm, 24-16, in the second frame.

• Xavier hit 52.9 percent (18-for-34) of its shot attempts in the first half and went 4-for-4 from the foul line. Shaila Beeler, Mackayla Scarlett and Ayanna Townsend each had 10 points.

• St. John's won the battle on the glass, 20-17. Four Musketeers had three rebounds in the first half: Shaila Beeler, Mackayla Scarlett, Courtney Prenger and Ayanna Townsend.

SECOND HALF

• Xavier maintained its lead the entire third quarter. St. John's closed within two points (53-51) with 1:48 on the clock, but the Musketeers ended the frame by scoring four unanswered points - taking a 57-51 advantage.

• An Aanaya Harris basket on Xavier's first possession of the final quarter gave the Musketeers their largest lead of the game, 59-51, with 8:49 on the clock. St. John's responded with an 11-2 run, taking a one-point lead (64-63) with just under three minutes on the clock.

• Xavier closed within one point two more times down the stretch, but the Red Storm pulled away for the 76-69 victory by going 10-for-11 from the foul line.

NOTABLES

• Ayanna Townsend posted her fourth career double-double, scoring 18 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. The 18 points matched her career high in scoring. The forward was 8-for-14 from the floor and 2-for-2 from the foul line.

• Shaila Beeler finished with 16 points and a game-high nine assists. She added three rebounds and one steal.

• Mackayla Scarlett added 15 points, four rebounds and two steals. She made all three of Xavier's three pointers in the game.

• Aanaya Harris chipped in 10 points on 5-for-8 shooting. She added three rebounds, one assist and one steal.

• Courtney Prenger finished with seven rebounds and six points. Shelby Calhoun rounded out the scoring with four points.

• Xavier hit 45.5 percent (30-for-66) of its shot attempts and went 6-for-6 from the foul line. St. John's won the battle on the glass, 39-34.

• Xavier had four more points off of turnovers (10-6) and scored two more second-chance points (12-10). The Musketeers also held a 12-9 advantage in fastbreak points. Xavier committed a season-low seven turnovers.

HIGHLIGHTS