Fourth Quarter Push Lifts Xavier Past DePaul

Tuesday, January 13

Cincinnati, Ohio

5:30 PM

DePaul University

4-15,1-7Big East

Xavier

10-7,3-5Big East

DePaul

Xavier

1/13/2026 7:55:00 PM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Blue Demons outscored 29-8 in final period

CINCINNATI, Ohio – DePaul shot 66 percent in the opening quarter but was unable to withstand a fourth-quarter surge in a 71–61 road loss at Xavier on Tuesday night. The Blue Demons led by as many as 14 in the third quarter before Xavier outscored DePaul 29–8 in the final period.

Redshirt freshman Alayna West posted a team-high 12 points for her fourth double-figure scoring game of the season. West also recorded five steals, marking her eighth game this year with three or more takeaways. Ally Timm joined West in double figures with 11 points.

Michelle Ojo scored 10 of her 12 points in the second half and went 5-for-6 from the field to earn her fifth double-figure scoring performance of the season.

DePaul (4–15, 1–7 BIG EAST) outrebounded its opponent for the fourth straight game, holding a narrow 38–36 edge on the glass.

MacKenzie Givens led four Musketeers in double figures with a game-high 18 points.

How It Happened
The Blue Demons opened the game on a 12–4 run, knocking down five of their first six shots from the field. Xavier answered with 11 unanswered points to regain the lead at 15–12. DePaul closed the opening quarter on a strong, holding the Musketeers scoreless over the final 3:20 to take a 22–15 advantage after the first 10 minutes of play. The Blue Demons shot 66 percent in the opening quarter, including a 3-for-4 mark from beyond the arc.

DePaul cooled off offensively in the second quarter, connecting on just one of its first eight field goal attempts, though the Blue Demons maintained a two-possession lead midway through the stanza. Novik snapped a nearly three-minute scoring drought with a baseline floater at the 3:35 mark. Each team converted just two field goals the rest of the half as DePaul carried a 33–26 lead into the break.

Xavier (10-7, 3-5 BIG EAST) opened the third quarter on an 8–2 run to cut the DePaul lead to one, 35–34. The Blue Demons answered with a decisive 13–0 run to build their largest advantage of the game at 48–34. Ojo's third field goal of the period pushed the lead to 53–42 heading into the final 10 minutes.

The Musketeers scored the first six points of the fourth quarter, forcing an early DePaul timeout. The Blue Demons were held without a field goal for more than three minutes as Xavier tied the game at 58 with four minutes remaining. The Musketeers then took their first lead of the second half at the 3:06 mark and never looked back closing the game on a 13-2 run.

Up Next
DePaul is back at home Saturday, Jan. 17 to host Seton Hall at Wintrust Arena. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT with the action streamed live on ESPN+.

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