No. 22 Cincinnati beats Xavier 68-65 and snaps a 5-game losing streak against its crosstown rival
Xavier Musketeers vs. Cincinnati Bearcats: Game Highlights
Xavier Musketeers vs. Cincinnati Bearcats: Game Highlights
CINCINNATI -- — Simas Lukosius scored 14 points and Aziz Bandaogo added 12 as No. 22 Cincinnati held off crosstown rival Xavier 68-65 on Saturday.
Cincinnati (8-1) rallied late to snap a five-game losing streak against the Musketeers (8-3).
Ryan Conwell completed a four-point play to cut Xavier's deficit to 66-65 with 13.8 seconds left. The Bearcats' Jizzle James hit two free throws to make it 68-65 with 13 seconds. Xavier's Zach Freemantle missed a potential tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Freemantle scored 18 points and Conwell had 17 for the Musketeers.
Freemantle scored 16 of his points in the first half, including a 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer, giving the Musketeers a 31-30 lead.
Conwell's 3-pointer extended the Musketeers' lead to 53-46 with 7:50 remaining.
Cincinnati countered with a 12-1 , and a jumper by Lukosius put the Bearcats ahead 59-56.
Xavier: The Musketeers have owned the series in recent years, winning five straight before Saturday. Xavier has won nine of 12, and 13 of the last 18 games.
Cincinnati: The Bearcats have relied heavily on 3-point shooting this season, but they beat Xavier despite shooting 5 for 20 from long range.
Lukosius had been 0 for 5 from 3-point range before he made his first from long range to get the Bearcats within two points with 5:56 remaining.
With 15 minutes remaining, the Musketeers had outscored Cincinnati 20-14 in the paint, with all of the Bearcats' points coming on lob passes for dunks. The Bearcats did much better in the second half and ended up outscoring Xavier 34-30 in the paint.
Xavier plays at No. 18 UConn on Wednesday, while Cincinnati plays Dayton on Friday at Heritage Bank Center.
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Game Information
- Referees:
- Darron George
- Ray Natili
- Tommy Johnson
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| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. John's | 7-1 | - | 16-3 |
| Marquette | 6-1 | 0.5 | 15-3 |
| UConn | 5-2 | 1.5 | 13-5 |
| Creighton | 5-2 | 1.5 | 12-6 |
| Villanova | 5-4 | 2.5 | 12-8 |
| Georgetown | 4-4 | 3 | 13-6 |
| Xavier | 4-4 | 3 | 12-7 |
| Providence | 3-5 | 4 | 9-10 |
| Butler | 1-6 | 5.5 | 8-10 |
| Seton Hall | 1-6 | 5.5 | 6-12 |
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| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 6-0 | - | 14-3 |
| Iowa State | 5-1 | 1 | 15-2 |
| Arizona | 5-1 | 1 | 11-6 |
| West Virginia | 4-2 | 2 | 13-4 |
| Kansas | 4-2 | 2 | 13-4 |
| Texas Tech | 4-2 | 2 | 13-4 |
| UCF | 3-3 | 3 | 12-5 |
| Baylor | 3-3 | 3 | 11-6 |
| Utah | 3-3 | 3 | 11-6 |
| TCU | 3-3 | 3 | 10-7 |
| Cincinnati | 2-4 | 4 | 12-5 |
| BYU | 2-4 | 4 | 11-6 |
| Oklahoma State | 2-4 | 4 | 10-7 |
| Arizona State | 1-5 | 5 | 10-7 |
| Kansas State | 1-5 | 5 | 7-10 |
| Colorado | 0-6 | 6 | 9-8 |
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