CHICAGO – The No. 4 seeded Saint Xavier University women's basketball team (18-11, 14-6 CCAC) lost to No. 5 Governors State University (Ill.) 69-61 in overtime in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Women's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals Tuesday evening on Bob Hallberg Court at the Shannon Center in Chicago, Ill. Sophomore forward Veronica Bafia (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport Township) finished with a game-high tying 20 points on 7-for-14 shooting, adding five rebounds and three steals while playing a career-high 42 minutes. It is the second consecutive season that the Cougars lost in overtime in the CCAC Tournament Quarterfinals, as they lost to Indiana University Northwest, 77-72, in Gary, Ind. last February 26.

The first quarter was close; SXU took an early 4-0 lead before the Jaguars took a four-point advantage, 13-9, at the 1:33 mark. Senior guard Jaidn Green (Evansville, Ind./Evansville North) knocked down a three-pointer in the closing seconds to make it a 13-12 game after 10 minutes of play. Freshman forward Alaina Peetz (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Township) made a layup midway through the second period to put Saint Xavier up 18-17, however GSU retook the lead on the next possession, heading into halftime holding a 31-25 advantage.

With 6:14 remaining in the third quarter, sophomore guard Makayla Kelly (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) converted a shot to cut the deficit to 35-33. Governors State responded with a 12-3 run over the next five minutes, taking their largest lead at 47-36 with 1:32 to go. The Cougars had a run of their own, overlapping the end of the third and start of the fourth quarter, going up 53-49, after a 17-2 run, started by freshman guard Julian Benjamin (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard West) making a three and a layup on consecutive possessions. Sophomore guard Maeve Egan (Chicago, Ill./Mother McAuley) knocked down a three-pointer before the buzzer to end the third.

Peetz took a pass from Benjamin to push the lead to 57-53 with 2:30 left in regulation. The Jaguars sank a three just before the shot clock on its next time down the court. After both teams missed shots, Green made an off-balance shot to put SXU up 59-56 with 48 seconds remaining. GSU drained another three-pointer just 10 seconds later, calling a timeout. A turnover by Saint Xavier allowed Governors State to use another timeout to draw up a play with 17 seconds left. The Jaguars missed a three and the put-back attempt as time expired.

In the extra period, Bafia made a pair of foul shots to break the 59-59 tie at the 2:58 mark. However, the Cougars were unable to score the rest of the frame as GSU tallied five points on consecutive possessions, and they closed out the game by making free-throws.

• Egan collected 11 points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal in 35 minutes, a new career-high, off the bench.
• Green recorded eight points, a team-leading four assists, three rebounds, a blocked shot and a steal as she played all 45 minutes.
• Peetz pulled down 14 rebounds, one shy of tying her career-best, with six points and an assist in 39 minutes of action.
• Sophomore guard Makayla Kelly (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) came away with six points, two assists and a rebound.
• Benjamin totaled six points as well, along with an assist in 15 minutes as a reserve.

Saint Xavier (18-11/14-6 CCAC) will wait to see if it claims one of the 64 slots for the NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship First Round. The selection show is Thursday, March 5 at 7:00 pm, and will stream on the NAIA's YouTube channel.