CINCINNATI – Butler improved to 7-2 in the BIG EAST Conference with a 58-54 road win against Xavier on Sunday afternoon. The Bulldogs closed the final 4:07 on a 6-2 scoring run, breaking a 52-52 tie at the final media timeout. With the win, Butler moves to 11-9 overall.

The Musketeers took a one-point lead into halftime and would hold onto a slim advantage for a majority of the second half. Jenna Crittendon scored 10-straight points for XU to push their lead to nine points with 11:21 to play, but a pair of 3-point field goals from junior Blaire Langlois would keep Butler alive as the team cut the deficit to three with their only 3-point field goals of the game.

The teams went to the bench at the final media timeout tied up at 52-52. Ijeoma Uchendu would knock down a pair of free throws to give the 'Dawgs a two-point lead and then a steal and fastbreak score from Loryn Goodwin would give Butler the four-point cushion.

Raeshaun Gaffney hit a field goal for Xavier to cut the lead back down to two points, but another steal from Butler, this time from Belle Obert, would give the ball back to Butler with just under a minute to play.

Murry came up big by knocking down two free throws and one final block from Belle Obert would ice the win as Butler remains undefeated during the month of January.

Obert led the team in rebounding with seven boards while also chipping in with six points and two blocks. Ijeoma Uchendu was the driving force behind the Butler offensive attack as the senior scored a game-high 22 points on 10-of-19 shooting. Uchendu also led the team with four blocked shots and was second on the team with four steals.

The Bulldogs got off to a hot start to grab a 12-2 lead over the Musketeers in the opening four minutes of the game. A full court press bothered the Musketeers as Uchendu came up with two steals that led to fastbreak scores after Xavier lost two possessions due to five second call violations.

The Musketeers weathered the storm and got back into the game by hitting five 3-point field goals in the opening 20 minutes. Aliyah Zantt, Jenna Crittendon and Maddison Blackwell all hit from behind the arc, yet the Bulldogs limited those looks in the second half with Xavier finishing the game with just one triple in the second stanza.

Crittendon highlighted the Musketeer lineup with a team-high 18 points. She grabbed seven rebounds and was also in the scorebook with three assists, two blocks and a steal.

Langlois and Goodwin helped Butler reach their final scoring total with Goodwin pouring in 11 points and Langlois adding 10. Murry and Obert also played big minutes down the stretch ending the game with six points each.

Butler ended the game shooting 48 percent from the field. They hit six of their first seven shots of the game on their way to shooting 57 percent in the first half.

Defense was the key to the second half as the Bulldogs held Xavier to just six made field goals, resulting in 21 points.

The Bulldogs will return to action with yet another road game against the conference opponent when they travel to Providence to take on the Friars this coming Friday. Game time is slated for 7 p.m.