CINCINNATI, Ohio (11/19/24) – Arkansas State women's basketball (2-2, 0-0 SBC) remained persistent despite shooting struggles, but could not close the gap in a 45-41 loss at Xavier (3-1, 0-0 Big East) on Tuesday night at the Cintas Center.
 
Mimi McCollister led the team with nine points while Zyion Shannon and Kyanna Morgan posted a team-high three steals. As a team, the Scarlet and Black shot 14-for-56 (25.0 percent) from the floor and 6-for-29 (20.7 percent) from beyond the arc.
 
Both sides struggled to put points on the board in the opening period as the score stood at 7-7 with five minutes remaining. The Musketeers broke away by converting an and-one along with a layup to close the first on a 5-0 run.
 
The stretch would extend to nine points before Shaunae Brown drilled a three-pointer followed by a layup from Wynter Rogers at the 7:32 mark. The Red Wolves went scoreless beyond that point, allowing Xavier to go into halftime with a 23-12 advantage.
 
A-State shot 5-for-23 (21.7 percent) from the floor and 2-for-15 (13.3 percent) from deep during the opening half, recording the lowest point total over two quarters since scoring 11 in the second half at Southern Miss on Feb. 15.
 
The Scarlet and Black began to surge in the next half, opening the third on a 9-0 run while holding the Musketeers scoreless over the first five minutes. Xavier responded with a layup and three-pointer of their own and eventually closed the period with a 31-27 lead.
 
Anna Griffin made it a one-possession game with 7:30 remaining after draining a triple, but a 6-2 run for the Musketeers opened up a six-point deficit. A pair of layups and a free throw from Crislyn Rose made it a one-point ballgame, but A-State could not tie the contest before time expired.
 
NEXT UP
A-State resumes a three-game road stretch with an in-state showdown against Arkansas on Sunday, Nov. 24, at 2:00 p.m. inside Bud Walton Arena. Listeners can find the game on 95.3/96.9 The Ticket Radio Network while viewers can watch on ESPN+.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For the latest on the A-State women's basketball program, follow @AStateWB on Twitter/X and @astatewbb on Instagram, while also liking the team's Facebook page at Facebook.com/RedWolvesWBB.