CHICAGO – Freshman guard Brooklynn Johnson (Aurora, Ill./West Aurora) tallied a team-high 16 points, converting a three-point play in the closing seconds, to help lead the Saint Xavier University women's basketball team (14-7, 10-3 CCAC) to a 69-60 triumph over Governors State University (Ill.) in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) competition Saturday afternoon on Bob Hallberg Court at the Shannon Center in Chicago, Ill. Johnson added five rebounds, all coming in the second half and a steal in 28 minutes of action. The Cougars forced 18 turnovers on the afternoon, collecting 11 steals and converting those into 29 points.

GSU opened the scoring with a basket in the opening minute. SXU responded with a 12-0 run over the next two and a half minutes. Saint Xavier built a 24-12 lead after the first 10 minutes with Johnson and sophomore forward Veronica Bafia (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport Township) each scoring seven points, respectively. The Cougars forced seven turnovers in the second period with five steals to hold its double-digit lead heading into halftime up 42-28. Freshman guard Taryn Fisher (Westfield, Ind./Carmel) scored six of her nine points in the second quarter.

SXU kept the lead for the remainder of the game; however, the Jaguars cut a 17-point deficit, 54-37, down to four, 54-50, in the final four minutes of the third quarter. Governors State would get as close as 57-54 at the 7:12 mark and 59-56 with 4:26 remaining, but each time Saint Xavier would push the lead back to two possessions to hold on for the key conference win.

• Senior guard Jaidn Green (Evansville, Ind./Evansville North) recorded 14 points, a season-high eight rebounds, and a season-best tying five assists in 34 minutes on the court.
• Bafia played all 40 minutes, coming away with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, nine rebounds, three steals and an assist.
• Freshman forward Alaina Peetz (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Township) hauled in a game-high 12 rebounds, her ninth game with 10 or more rebounds this season. She added eight points on 4-for-8 shooting, a career-best five blocked shots, three steals and an assist while also playing all 40 minutes.
• Sophomore guard Makayla Kelly (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) made her first collegiate start, netting seven points while adding two assists and a steal in a season-high 24 minutes.

Saint Xavier (14-7/10-3 CCAC) travels to Judson University (Ill.) for a CCAC match-up on Wednesday, January 28. The game is set for a 5:30 pm tip-off.