CHICAGO – Nadia Thorman-McKey scored a team-high 20 points to pace three Lakers in double figures, and the Roosevelt women's basketball team knocked off its third Top 25 opponent of the season in defeating 17th-ranked Saint Xavier, 68-65, at the Shannon Center on Wednesday.
Becca Bergman connected twice from downtown en route to 13 points, while Lindzy Cox added 11 points for the Lakers (15-12, 8-9 CCAC), who picked up the first win in program history over the perennially-powerful Cougars (18-8, 12-5 CCAC) after 18 previous unsuccessful attempts.
Ashley Smoldt had a team-best eight rebounds, while Jordan Fierst and Cherish Smith added seven boards apiece.
Smith, a veteran reserve thrusted into a starting role as Roosevelt was without the services of senior Jasmine Albert for the night, had four caroms retrieved off the offensive glass and tallied seven points in 29 tremendous minutes.
"This was such an amazing win," Roosevelt head coach Keisha Newell said after the game. "We could not have done this without each and every person on our roster and coaching staff. This was the epitome of a team win."
Chantel Fanter led all player with 21 points to go along with 10 boards and six assists for SXU.
Roosevelt forced 17 turnovers and, outside of a torrid third quarter from the field by both teams that resulted in 60-plus-percent shooting showings by each side, held the SXU offensive attack in check.
The Lakers led for a vast majority of the game, overcoming Saint Xavier's first-quarter lead by using a 9-2 second-quarter run to take the lead and eventually get it to eight.
Behind a 10-for-16 third stanza, RU went ahead by 11 and withstood SXU's counterpunches by never relinquishing the advantage until Fanter made a layup that deadlocked the game at 55 all early in the fourth.
From there Roosevelt scored six unanswered points, reclaiming the lead and holding on as SXU frantically tried to get back into the game.
Nursing a five-point lead, Roosevelt saw SXU's Abbee Sigel connect from beyond the arc with 16 ticks left in regulation to make it a two-point affair.
Smoldt was fouled and missed the front end of a two-shot trip to the charity stripe. The sophomore standout calmly sank the second to make it a three-point affair, and Roosevelt's defense continued to hold as Fanter missed a game-tying shot in the final seconds to send the Lakers to a much-needed win in their fight for a berth to the eight-team CCAC Tournament amidst a crowded field battling for playoff lives.
Newell noted Smith's effort and the showing by her team on the defensive end.
"Cherish stepped up in her first-ever collegiate start and provided us with so much energy on both ends of the floor," Newell said. "She's worked so hard, trusted the process, and I couldn't be more proud of her.
"Our defensive effort was great," Newell continued. "It doesn't always show up on the stat sheet, but Becca and Nadia were outstanding taking on the tasks of guarding [Maddie] Welter and Fanter.
"To win on the road against a team like Saint Xavier is really special," Newell stated. "I could not be more proud of our team."
Roosevelt's rigorous stretch of three games in six days wraps up on Saturday with a road game at Governors State. Both teams enter Saturday's 1p.m. tilt at 8-9 in league play, with major ramifications on the line toward entering the CCAC postseason fray.
