On Saturday, Holy Cross women’s basketball traveled to face off against Saint Xavier, losing 67-52. It is the Saints’ second loss in a row after falling to Governors State at home on Nov. 12. The team is 1-5 on the season and 0-2 in conference.
Holy Cross jumped out early in the first quarter as sophomore forward Allie Caldwell dropped in a layup, followed by junior center Brock Bittermann, who added two points of her own 40 seconds later. The Cougars came back with a layup and drained two free throws to tie up the score at 4-4. Saint Xavier took the lead and held it through the rest of the quarter, compiling a 19-10 lead over the Saints.
Saint Xavier flew by the Holy Cross defense in the second quarter, adding seven unanswered points until junior guard Laney Hawkins earned 2 points on the free-throw line. Caldwell followed a few minutes later, adding two layups for herself. Saint Xavier retaliated, pulling away to 30-16. Despite efforts from Caldwell, freshman forward Sincere Coleman-Francis and a three-pointer from junior guard Lilly Toppen, Saint Xavier stayed ahead going into the half 30-23.
After the break, Holy Cross came out strong with a layup from Coleman-Francis and a jump shot from senior guard Audrey Tallent to bring the score within three, but the Cougars pulled away again. It was a back-and-forth quarter, but Saint Xavier eventually achieved a nine-point run to build a commanding 41-30 lead.
In the last quarter, sophomore forward Kaiden Hanley closed the gap to nine, but a three-point shot from Saint Xavier extended its lead. The Cougars made another seven-point run and held on for a 67-52 final.
Caldwell led the Saints on offense, finishing with 14 points, followed by Hawkins and Coleman-Francis, who each added on 8 points apiece. Caldwell also led the Saints in rebounds with nine. Overall, the Saints finished 20-for-55 from the field and 4-for-17 from behind the arc.
The Saints now prepare to host Trinity Christian on Nov. 19, starting at 5:30 p.m.
