Gary, Ind. – With one second left in regulation, senior guard Aaliyahna Derrell (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sand Creek) sank the game-winning basket from the free-throw line to give Saint Xavier University women's basketball (8-4, 4-1 CCAC) a thrilling 64-63 victory over Indiana University Northwest in a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) contest Saturday afternoon at the Savannah Center in Gary, Ind. Derrell finished the game with 13 points, making three three-pointers on five attempts, with a season-best eight rebounds and five assists.

The Cougars jumped out to a 20-9 lead after the first quarter, making nine of their 15 shot attempts (60.0 percent), with freshman forward Veronica Bafia (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport Township) scoring seven of her team-leading 15 points in the frame. The RedHawks chipped away in the second period, however SXU maintained a two-possession lead throughout the quarter and headed into halftime with a 34-27 lead. Derrell tallied six points on a pair of treys as Saint Xavier cooled off from the floor, going 5-for-15 in the second quarter.

IUN rallied in the third period, taking a 49-47 advantage into the fourth quarter, outshooting the Cougars 50.0 percent (8-for-16) to 33.3 percent (6-for-18), as Indiana Northwest sank five threes in the frame. The lead traded hands multiple times before junior guard Jaidn Green (Evansville, Ind./Evansville North) was fouled as she made a layup, converting the free-throw for an. 'Old-Fashioned' three-point play, with 5:34 left in the fourth to put SXU up 57-55. The RedHawks came back again to tie the game, 63-63, on a jumper with :42 to go. On the next possession, Derrell took at three-point shot attempt with seven seconds left that was corralled by redshirt junior guard Hayley Macdonald (Canberra, Australia/Williston State/Lake Ginninderra), allowing Derrell to draw the foul to set up the winning foul shot.

• Bafia was 6-for-10 overall from the floor and she added seven rebounds.
• Junior center Eleanor Harris (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) collected 14 points on 7-for-10 shooting, along with six rebounds, two blocked shots, two steals and an assist.
• Green finished with nine points, five rebounds and two steals.
• Senior center Alyssa Crenshaw (Algonquin, Ill./Dundee-Crown) recorded eight points while going 4-for-5 from the field, with five rebounds and a pair of assists. She also cracked the Top 25 in career scoring at SXU as she now ranks No. 25 with 931 points.
• Macdonald added three rebounds on the afternoon and was 2-for-2 from the foul line.
• Sophomore guard Emma Clark (Rockton, Ill./Hononegah Community) added three points and a steal, while freshman guard Maeve Egan (Chicago, Ill./Mother McAuley) had a pair of steals, an assist and a rebound.

Saint Xavier (8-4/4-1 CCAC) returns to the court when they host Grace College (Ind.) at the Shannon Center on Sunday, December 29 in non-conference play. The game is scheduled for a 1:00 pm start.