CHICAGO – The Saint Xavier University women's basketball team (0-1, 0-0 CCAC) started the 2024-25 season with an 89-60 loss to No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan University Friday evening on Bob Hallberg Court at the Shannon Center in Chicago, Ill. Junior guard Jaidn Green (Evansville, Ind./Evansville North) led the Cougars with 18 points on 50.0 percent shooting (6-for-12) and was 5-for-8 (62.5 percent) from beyond the arc. She also handed out three assists with a blocked shot, a rebound and a steal in 27 minutes on the court. Freshman forward Veronica Bafia (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport Township) started in her collegiate debut and collected 11 points on 5-for-10 shooting from the floor, a team-best five rebounds, a team-high tying two blocks, an assist and a steal in 28 minutes of action.

• Senior guard Aaliyahna Derrell (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sand Creek) scored seven points with a game-best six assists and a rebound.
• Junior center Eleanor Harris (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) tallied five points, two blocks, a rebound and a steal in 14 minutes off the bench.
• Graduate student guard/forward Ryann Ogarek (Joliet, Ill./Benedictine/Lewis/Providence Catholic) came away with four points and four rebounds in her SXU debut.
• Senior forward Alyssa Crenshaw (Algonquin, Ill./Dundee-Crown) finished with three rebounds, two assists, two points and two steals in 26 minutes.
• Freshman guard Maeve Egan (Chicago, Ill./Mother McAuley) scored three points with two steals in 13 minutes off the bench in her collegiate debut.
• Redshirt junior guard Hayley Macdonald (Canberra, Australia/Williston State/Lake Ginninderra) scored three points with a rebound in 12 minutes of playing time.
• Sophomore guard Madyson Kibelkis (Peotone, Ill./Peotone) recorded three points and three rebounds in four minutes on the court, while senior forward Sofie Carr (Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli) chipped in two points and a pair of rebounds.
• Saint Xavier took an early 6-2 lead when Green made back-to-back threes in the opening minutes and led 11-5 after Derrell drained a three-pointer at the 6:56 mark. IWU responded with a 14-0 run to go up 19-11 after a lay-up and a free throw with 2:23 left in the opening frame and held a 25-17 advantage after the first 10 minutes of play.
• Both teams tallied 13 points in the second period with Bafia leading the Cougars with seen points while making three of her four shots with two rebounds and a steal. SXU forced 10 turnovers in the frame and came away with five steals, trailing 38-30 at halftime. Saint Xavier held Indiana Wesleyan to 2-for-9 from three-point range in the first half and kept pace with the Wildcats by making five of their eight treys.
• IWU made 5-of-10 from beyond the arc in the third quarter. Green (five points) and Bafia (four points) kept SXU close as they were down 61-48 heading into the final period. Indiana Wesleyan pulled away in the fourth quarter, outscoring Saint Xavier, 28-12, while making 62.5 percent (10-for-16) of their shots.

Saint Xavier (0-1/0-0 CCAC) takes part in the Catholic Classic hosted by Marian University (Ind.) that begins on Friday, November 8 in Indianapolis, Ind. The Cougars play No. 22 University of Saint Francis (Ind.) on Friday at 4:30 pm central.