Dec. 17, 2005

Box Score

CINCINNATI - Junior guard Suntana Granderson scored a game-high 20 points in 21 minutes of action to lead the Xavier University women's basketball team past IPFW 77-49 on Saturday afternoon at Cintas Center. With the win, XU improves to 7-2 on the year while the Mastodons slip to 1-6.

Granderson's 20, which came on 9-of-16 shooting, marked the ninth time in her career she has scored at least 20 points. She has scored in double-figures in each of XU's nine games this season.

Senior forward Kristy Wallner recorded her third career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Two of Wallner's three double-doubles have come against the Mastodons.

Senior forward Tara Boothe scored 14 points and was 2-of-5 from deep on the afternoon. Boothe also snared seven rebounds and recorded three steals.

Juniors Michele Miller and Miranda Green each scored nine points.

Saturday marked the debut of Deanna Mason in a Xavier uniform. The junior scored six points and hauled in seven rebounds and also posted a pair of steals.

Freshman guard Jerri Taylor scored eight points and dished-out a pair of assists for XU. Taylor was 4-of-5 from the field on the afternoon.

IPFW's Juliane Hohne scored the first four points of the game but XU took a 6-4 lead it would not relinquish when Granderson converted on a driving lay-up 3:40 into the contest. Granderson's bucket came in the midst of a 16-0 Musketeer run, which XU used to sprint out to a 27-9 lead at the nine-minute mark.

IPFW would not go away though and trailed 38-28 at the one-minute mark and XU would take a 41-30 lead into the break.

XU took control of the game in the early stages of the second half as the Musketeers mounted an 11-2 run to open up the second half and extended their lead to 52-32 with 15:10 to go. That XU spurt was capped off by a Boothe 3-pointer.

Xavier led by as many as 29, 76-47, with 2:03 to go.

The Musketeers held a lopsided 27-to-5 advantage in points off turnovers as XU forced the Mastodons into 20 miscues. Xavier also held a convincing 42-to-12 advantage in points in the paint.

XU is back in action on Wednesday, December 21 when the team will take on Florida State. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. at Cintas Center.