The Holy Cross women’s basketball team earned a 43–39 home victory over Saint Xavier on Wednesday night at McKenna Arena, using a strong second-half push and key bench contributions to secure the conference matchup win.
After a slow start offensively, Holy Cross trailed 9–3 at the end of the first quarter but responded in the second period with improved ball movement and defensive pressure. The Saints went into halftime down just 3, 19–16, before turning the momentum in the third quarter.
Holy Cross outscored Saint Xavier 17–9 in the third, taking control of the game behind timely shooting and aggressive play on the boards. The Saints built as much as a 9-point lead midway through the fourth quarter and held off a late Saint Xavier push to seal the 4-point win.
Allie Caldwell led Holy Cross with 13 points and 4 steals, while Kaiden Hanley added 7 points and a team-high 9 rebounds. Audrey Tallent contributed 6 points and 3 assists, and Malea Steele pulled down 8 rebounds. Off the bench, Sincere Coleman-Francis provided a major spark, scoring 13 points to lead all reserves and help Holy Cross win the bench scoring battle, 17–5.
Defensively, Holy Cross forced 20 turnovers and finished with a 45–41 rebounding advantage. The Saints also capitalized at the free throw line, shooting 80 percent compared to Saint Xavier’s 56 percent.
The win moves Holy Cross to 10–8 overall and 6–4 in conference play, as the Saints continue to build momentum heading into the next match on Saturday Jan. 17th at home. The Saints take on crosstown rivals IUSB with a 1PM tipoff.