The Xavier women’s basketball team started the year off strong, winning their first regular season game this past Saturday. They defeated Bucknell 71-62 at Cintas Center.
Junior guard Shatyra Hawkes led the Musketeers in scoring with 19 points. Seven of those points came in the first half, but Hawkes kicked it into high gear and put up the final 12 in the second half. Behind Hawkes in the scoring
column was junior guard Ashley Wanniger, who posted 15 points. Wanniger made all six of her free throw attempts.
As a team, the Musketeers made 21 out of their 25 free throw attempts, posting an 84 free throw percentage.
Redshirt sophomore Lakeisha Crouch recorded Xavier’s only double-double. She scored 11 points while grabbing 12 rebounds. As a team, Xavier had a solid defensive day. The Musketeers forced 16 turnovers while committing only 13 turnovers. The team compiled 10 steals to Bucknell’s eight, but the real factor was the total number of blocks. Xavier produced eight swats to Bucknell’s one. While the number of assists was evenly dispersed amongst the team, redshirt junior guard Ty O’Neill led with five assists.
Even though Xavier won by nine points, the game remained close throughout the day. Xavier went on an 11-5 run to
close out the first half and open the second half, but
Bucknell eventually fought back to get within two points. The game continued until the Musketeers went on a 7-1 run that
put them comfortably ahead for the rest of the game. “We did a great job of sticking together and continuing to play
team basketball,” head coach Amy Waugh said. Xavier followed the victory with a 62-53 loss to Michigan on
Monday night. The team plays their next four games at Cintas Center. The Musketeers play High Point next Monday and then host Morehead State on Nov. 21.
Tuesday, June 24, 2025