Jan. 27, 2006

Box Score

OLEAN, N.Y. - Senior forward Tara Boothe led four Musketeers in double-figures with 20 points as the Xavier University women's basketball team downed Saint Bonaventure 76-67 on Friday evening in Olean, N.Y. With the win XU improves to 13-6 on the year and 4-4 in Atlantic 10 play. The Bonnies slipped to 7-11, 1-6.

Junior guard Michele Miller scored 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting and she also added four steals. Classmate Suntana Granderson (10 points) and sophomore Candyce Bingham (career-high tying 12 points) also had double-digit scoring nights.

Junior guard Miranda Green added nine points and also chased down five rebounds.

Xavier trailed by as many as seven points in the first half and was down 26-20 when Stefanie Collins drained a 3-pointer at the eight-minute mark.

The Musketeers would clamp down defensively though and held the Bonnies to only two field goals for the remainder of the half. XU also got it together on the offensive end and concluded the first stanza with a decisive 24-4 run to seize a commanding 44-32 lead at the break.

Green scored five of her seven first-half points in the first half's last 16-seconds and capped the first 20-minutes by converting on an old-fashioned 3-point play with .3-seconds on the clock.

XU kept the pedal to the metal in the second half, extending its lead to 22 points, 66-44, with 10:10 remaining in regulation. XU used an 8-0 run over a three minute span to take the 66-44 advantage. The Xavier spurt was highlighted by four points by Bingham.

The Bonnies would end the game on an 11-3 run to close the margin to nine points.

XU forced the Bonnies into 22 turnovers and committed only 13 miscues on the night.  Xavier also shot a solid 50 percent (33-of-66) on Friday.

Xavier stays on the road to play Duquesne on Sunday. Game time is set for 2:05 p.m. at the Dukes' A.J. Palumbo Center.