On Tuesday night, January 13, Xavier Basketball hosted the Valley Vista Monsoon. It took two overtimes to crown the winner.

Typically, a low shooting percentage is not a characteristic of a winning performance; however, the Gators made it work on Tuesday. When you mix a less-than-desired shooting percentage with an active, focused, and aggressive defense, along with clutch shooting, and a no-quit, go-for-it attitude, you have a chance. And I'm not talking about one or two players; I'm referring to the TEAM.

Although it felt like a team win, where all the key players had a significant impact on the game, there were two who stood out in my mind.

Junior Sariah McNabb, as usual, was all over the place causing trouble for the opponents (five steals and three blocked shots) and facilitating the Xavier offense. She has a dangerous combination of speed, quickness, athleticism, intelligence, focus, and aggressive competitiveness. (Watch the highlight videos; you'll see)

And then there's sophomore Ellie McLaughlin, who was called upon to save the team on multiple occasions. Xavier needed her two free throws at the end of the 4th quarter and the end of the first overtime in order to avoid losing the game. Ellie scored a clutch three-pointer and drained eight free throws in a row, all after the 3rd quarter. (Watch the second-half highlight video; feel the pressure)

The two narrated videos below will take you through Xavier's roller coaster journey to a well-deserved victory on Athletics Center home court.

VIDEO: FIRST HALF Highlights

VIDEO: SECOND HALF Highlights