By: Adam Purvis ~Staff Writer~

After last week’s play, the women’s basketball team is on a threegame win streak and tied with St. John’s for second place in the conference at 8-4.

This past week the Musketeers went up against Providence on Feb. 5 and Creighton on Sunday while taking away two more home victories, leaving Xavier with the best record in the conference at home at 15-2. Overall, the team is currently 17-6.

The Musketeers crushed the Friars with a score of 72-47 while junior Maddison Blackwell and redshirt junior Raeshaun Gaffney combined for 32 points leading the team to victory.

The team started off the game strong with an 11-4 run, leaving the Friars without a field goal for more than six minutes of the game. At the 3:55 mark, the Friars made the score 11-6 and snapped the Musketeers’ streak of holding an opponent without a field goal of nearly 17 and half minutes, dating back to the Butler game. Throughout this time, the team held Providence at zero for 23 from the field.

The Musketeers outscored their opponents in the paint 46-18 and had a 46-35 advantage with rebounds. The team improved to 5-1 in its all-time series against Providence.

Coming off this overwhelming victory, Xavier overcame in a close game against Creighton, with senior Jenna Crittendon hitting a game-winning two as time expired to end the game at 57-55.

Gaffney had missed a contested layup with five seconds left before Crittendon got the rebound and put up her winning shot with 0.3 seconds left on the clock, dropping Creighton down to 6-7 in the conference.

“I knew there was only a couple of seconds left … and just hoped and prayed that it went in,” Crittendon said.

Although a close game, the Musketeers were up at the half by seven, scored 11 unanswered points (5 for 6) in the first quarter and were up by 11 (26-15) with two minutes left in the first half. While being outscored in the second half, the team refused to allow Creighton to come back and held out for the win.

The women’s team will take the court next at 8:00 p.m. on Friday against No. 23 DePaul in Chicago. The Musketeers lost to the Blue Demons 70-53 in Cintas Center on Jan. 17.