Men's Basketball Falls to Oakland at Cintas Center

Monday, November 27

Cincinnati, Ohio

6:30 p.m.

Xavier University

4-3,0-0Big East

Oakland

4-3,0-0Horizon

Oakland

Xavier

Men's Basketball Falls to Oakland at Cintas Center

11.27.23 | Men's Basketball

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Desmond Claude led three Musketeers in double figures with 24 points

By: Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Desmond Claude scored 24 points to lead three Musketeers in double figures as Xavier fell 78-76 to Oakland at Cintas Center on Monday evening. The Musketeers moved to 4-3 on the year.

Oakland jumped out to an early lead, with Xavier trailing by as many as eight in the first six minutes of the game. The Musketeers outscored the Golden Grizzlies 14-4 over the next four minutes to give Xavier its first lead at 23-21 with 10 minutes left in the first half. Oakland would move back in front, trailing for only 29 seconds in the first half before taking a 43-42 lead into the break. Desmond Claude led Xavier with 14 first half points.

Early in the second half, Xavier moved in front, taking a 50-49 win with just over 16 minutes remaining, but the Golden Grizzlies moved back in front with a 9-0 run, holding the lead into the final five minutes of the game. Xavier went on an 11-2 run to move in front, taking its largest lead of the game at 69-66 with less than three minutes to play before Oakland scored six straight to move in front for good. The Musketeers had a shot at the buzzer for the win, but it bounced off the rim to set the final score at 78-76 in favor of Oakland.

NOTABLES

Desmond Claude finished with 24 points, shooting 7-10 on two-point field goals and 10-12 from the free throw line.
Abou Ousmane finished with a season-high 12 points, shooting 4-of-6 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
Quincy Olivari added 11 for the Musketeers, connecting on a pair of three and going 5-of-6 from the free throw line. Olivari also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
The Musketeers finished with a 37-29 advantage on the boards and a 14-8 advantage on the offensive glass, outscoring Oakland 22-10 on second-chance points.
Dayvion McKnight led Xavier with eight assists, as the Musketeers had 19 assists on 23 made baskets.
The Golden Grizzlies shot 51.8 percent from the floor overall, going 23-of-33 on two-point field goals. Xavier shot 41.1 percent overall.
Oakland's Trey Townsend led all scorers with 28 points.