St. Thomas Women's Basketball upsets No. 22 Xavier (La.), 66-52
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - The STU Women's basketball team welcomed No. 22 Xavier to campus Saturday for a non-conference NAIA matchup. The Bobcats outlasted the Golden Nuggets after trailing by 9 at the half and won 66-52.
Xavier came into the game as the 22nd ranked team in the NAIA with a 9-1 record. Last season, the Golden Nuggets led NAIA in scoring defense, giving up just 52 ppg and finished in the top-10 nationally in six other categories.
St. Thomas struggled early while Xavier pounded the ball inside for a 50 percent shooting performance in the first half. STU tried to find defensive help for their front court but Xavier held the upper hand and took a 35-26 advantage into the locker room.
STU came out of the break with a full court press and forced 15 of Xavier's 27 turnovers to bring the margin within reach. St. Thomas capitalized with 24 points off turnovers for the game and took back the lead with ten minutes remaining. Maddie Cummings got hot from outside in the second half, hitting 3 three-pointers, including a 4-point play that all but sealed the deal for the Bobcats. St. Thomas held on surrendering just 17 points in the second half and upset Xavier, 66-52.
Dannisha Pierce had a strong outing with 22 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 10-of-14 from the floor. Nicky Montina posted 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Cummings finished with 12 points, while Carissa Staiano provided 7 points off the bench.
STU moves to 3-1 on the season and will bring Walsh University to campus next Saturday for a 7 p.m. game