FINAL BOX

Cincinnati, Ohio --- Despite a strong start, the Tennessee State University women's basketball team fell to Big East opponent Xavier, 63-54, in the season opener Saturday afternoon.

TSU (0-1) led, 33-30, after one half of play but was outscored by Xavier (1-0), 33-21, in the final two quarters.

Jayda Johnson led TSU with 17 points to go with seven rebounds while I'mani Davis recorded 14 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Tiana Parker finished the game with a team-high nine rebounds along with three steals and two blocks.

After briefly trailing in the opening moments of the first quarter Maxine Beard drained a three-pointer to pull the Lady Tigers even. TSU went on to shoot 50 percent from the field (7-of-14) in the opening stanza and score was knotted at 16-all at the end of the quarter.

In the second frame, TSU was up 22-21 when an 8-2 run fueled by by six points from Jayda Johnson extended the Lady Tiger advantage to 30-23. Xavier finished the half by outscoring TSU 10-3 to pull within three, 33-30, at the break.

TSU continued its impressive start in the second half and scored the first four points of the third quarter. The Musketeers responded, however, and took the lead, 40-39, following the media timeout.

The teams traded buckets over the next several possessions and neither team was able to build more than a three point lead.  With 24 seconds left on the clock, Xavier scored four quick points to take a 50-43 lead heading into the final quarter.

 Xavier grabbed its largest lead of the game, 53-43, before I'mani Davis knocked down a jumper to end TSU's scoring drought.

Although offensive struggles hampered the fourth quarter, the Lady Tigers stayed within striking distance. With just over five minutes left to play, TSU cut the deficit down to single digits, 59-50, behind a steal and break-away layup by Kaliya Griffin.

Missed opportunities down the stretch, however, kept the game out of reach as the Lady Tigers only managed to score four more points the rest of the way.

TSU shot 40.3 percent from the field but only managed to connect on 1-of-8 three-point attempts. The Lady Tigers also struggled from the free-throw line (3-of-9).

The Lady Tigers return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at Oklahoma State. Game time is set for 7 p.m. against the Big 12 opponent.

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