Jan. 14, 2007

Box Score

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - 49'er freshman Wendy Stywalt broke a 59-59 tie with 2.3 seconds remaining with a runner in the lane and Miranda Green's desperation heave from 40-feet clanged rudely off the rim as the Xavier University women's basketball team fell 61-59 at Charlotte on Sunday afternoon. With the loss, Xavier slips to 13-5 on the year and 2-1 in Atlantic 10 play. Charlotte improves to 12-6, 3-0.

XU led by as many as 20-point in the first half but Charlotte led by five, 59-54, after Danielle Burgin scored her 22nd point of the game on a turnaround jumper at the 2:20 mark.

Xavier would not lie down though as senior center DeAnna Mason grabbed a big offensive rebound and converted on the put-back 20-seconds later. Classmate Joei Clyburn made a free throw at the 1:10 mark and then converted on a driving lay-up with 20-seconds to go to set up Stywalt's game-winning runner.

Senior guard Suntana Granderson led the way for Xavier with 17 points while Mason and Green each scored 10 points. Clyburn added seven points and a game-high 12 rebounds as she pulled down double-digit rebounds for the fourth time in five games.

The 49'ers came out of halftime and extended their 9-0 spurt to a 13-0 run after Danielle Burgin converted on a lay-up 2:20 into the second session.

Charlotte then took its first lead of the game, 45-44, on a Traci Ray 3-pointer and extended its run to 37-14 over a 17:50 span to take a 47-44 lead with 8:20 go when Burgin hit a turnaround jumper.

XU shot a solid 53.2 percent (25-of-47) for the game and held Charlotte to 38.2 percent (26-of-68) from the field. Xavier also won the battle of the boards by a 36-to-31 count and held a 29-to-16 advantage on the defensive glass.

XU could not overcome its 21 miscues as the 49'ers held a 20-to-6 advantage on points off turnovers.

Burgin's career-high 22 led Charlotte, which ran its home court winning streak to 20 games.

The Musketeers stormed out of the gate, jumping out to leads of 6-0 at 17:30 and 16-3 at 11:20. Xavier continued to keep the pedal to the metal and seized a commanding 30-10 lead on a Mason driving lay-up with 6:10 to go.

Xavier turned the ball over eight times in the first eight minutes of the game but held Charlotte to just two field goals (2-of-20) in the first 11 minutes to take the lead.

Charlotte answered with a run of its own though, ending the first half on a 9-0 spurt and trailed by only eight points, 35-27, at the break.

Xavier will return to action on Wednesday, January 17 when the team travels across town to take on Cincinnati. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Fifth Third Arena.