CINCINNATI — Dailin Swain and Zach Freemantle each scored 15 points and Xavier defeated No. 19 Collegiate Con, 76-72, on Saturday night.
Xavier (13-8, 5-5 Big East) had lost four straight to the Huskies. It was the Musketeers’ second win over a ranked conference opponent in recent years. They won last Saturday at then No. 7 Marquette.
Solo Ball had 20 points and Aidan Mahaney had 14 points for UW (6-for-14, 3-for-6).
The Huskies led 74-72 with 21.7 seconds left, but the Musketeers forced a shot clock violation. Marcus Foster clinched the victory by hitting two free throws despite being fouled.
Swain missed Wednesday’s game against St. John’s with a sprained ankle, but returned and provided inspiration for the Musketeers, who have five players scoring in double figures.
The Musketeers led by as many as 10 points in a turbulent first half, but allowed 23 points in the final seven minutes as the Huskies rallied and took a 41-40 lead into halftime.
takeout
UW: Freshman Liam McNeely, the team’s third leading scorer, sat out with an ankle sprain. The Huskies were further hampered when Alex Karaban fouled out with 3:27 left.
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Xavier: The Musketeers needed more production off the bench. On Saturday, Bench scored 26 points, all of which came from Dante Maddox Jr. and Jerome Hunter.
important moment
Ball was fouled by Foster while attempting a 3-point shot, giving Xavier a five-point lead. Ball made three free throws and narrowed the lead to 74-72 with 1:29 left.
Main status
Through 20 games, Xavier’s shot block rate is 13%, which ranks 12th worst in the nation. UW had seven blocks in Saturday’s game.
to the next
UW hosts DePaul on Wednesday and Xavier plays at Creighton on Wednesday.
Written by Jeff Wallner
