LAS VEGAS – The Xavier women’s basketball team pulled to within two late in the game but the Syracuse Orange outlasted the Musketeers, 70-67, Sunday at the Duel in the Desert. It was XU’s first game of three to be played at UNLV’s Cox Pavilion. Three Musketeers posted double figures scoring, including sophomore Shatyra Hawkes with a team-high 15.
Xavier falls to 3-6 on the season while Syracuse improves to 8-3 overall.
Senior Tyeasha Moss added 14 points for Xavier while sophomore Lynette Holmes chipped in 13 points. Junior Amber Gray grabbed eight boards and swatted two blocks while senior Sabrina Johnson logged significant quality minutes for X, scoring seven points and grabbing eight rebounds.
The Musketeers shot 38.5 percent for the contest to the Orange’s 31.3 percent. Syracuse won the battle of the boards, 48-41, but XU’s bench scored 20 points to SU’s 13.
Trailing by six, 67-61, with just over two minutes left in the contest, pulled to within two, 69-67, after a layup by Holmes with seven seconds on the clock. The Orange made the second of two free throws on the other end. With less than three seconds left on the clock, Xavier had one last chance to tie the game. Taking the ball out of bounds under the Syracuse basket, the Musketeers turned the ball over and effectively ended their comeback bid.
XU sank the first basket of the game but quickly fell behind after an 8-0 run by SU. The Orange led by as many as 13 in the first frame before the Musketeers were able to cut the advantage to seven, 38-31, heading into the locker room at the half. Holmes was Xavier’s leading scoring in the first half with nine points and Gray had a game-high eight boards over the first 20 minutes.
Syracuse was led by Carmen Tyson-Thomas with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Up next for the Musketeers are the Ohio Bobcats on Monday in XU’s second game of the Duel in the Desert. XU and OU are set to tip off at 12 p.m. PT (3 p.m. ET) at Cox Pavilion.
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