Xavier Captures Fifth Straight Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout, Tops Bearcats on Saturday Night

Saturday, December 9

Cincinnati, Ohio

6:30 p.m.

Xavier University

5-5,0-0Big East

Cincinnati

7-1,0-0Big 12

Cincinnati

Xavier

Xavier Captures Fifth Straight Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout, Tops Bearcats on Saturday Night

12.09.23 | Men's Basketball

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The Musketeers defeated Cincinnati, 84-79, at Cintas Center

By: Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier men's basketball won its fifth straight Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout over Cincinnati, 84-79, on Saturday night at Cintas Center in front of a sellout crowd of 10,724 fans.

The Musketeers improve to 5-5 on the year, while the Bearcats fall to 7-1.

Xavier never trailed in the first half and led by as many as nine points (33-24) on a basket from Desmond Claude with 2:58 left on the clock. The Bearcats closed within six points (33-27) with just over a minute left in the frame before Abou Ousmane made a basket in the closing seconds to give the Musketeers a 35-27 lead at the break.

Cincinnati opened the second half on a 9-3 run, closing within two points (38-36) and forcing a Xavier timeout with 17:44 on the clock. The Bearcats took their first lead of the game, 41-40, at the 16:10 mark on a Aziz Bandaogo free throw. Cincinnati hit 85.7 percent (6-for-7) of its shot attempts to open the second half.

Xavier responded by going on a 17-6 run capped by a Quincy Olivari three pointer, taking the team's first double-figure lead of the game (57-47) with 11:24 left in regulation. The Musketeers led by as many as 12 points (68-56) with 6:27 left on the clock and never relinquished the lead.

The Bearcats battled back to close within four points on three occasions down the stretch and as late as the 2:01 mark. The Musketeers went 9-for-11 from the foul line and 1-for-1 from the floor in the closing 97 seconds to pull away for the five-point win.

NOTABLES

Xavier has won five straight over Cincinnati in the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout. The Musketeers have won 10 straight games vs the Bearcats at Cintas Center.
The Musketeers have won nine of the last 11 meetings. Xavier has also won 13 of the last 17 contests.
Xavier handed Cincinnati its first loss of the season. The 84 points allowed by the Bearcats is a season high.
Quincy Olivari scored a game-high 27 points on 6-for-14 shooting. The guard was 6-for-8 from behind the arc and 9-for-9 from the foul line. He has scored in double figures nine times this season with three, 20-point performances.
Dayvion McKnight added 20 points on 5-for-13 shooting. The guard was also 8-for-8 from the foul line. He pulled down eight rebounds, dished out four assists and recorded a game-high three steals.
Abou Ousmane posted his first double-double of the season, scoring 10 points and pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds. The forward was 5-for-9 from the floor.
Desmond Claude scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds. The guard also dished out a game-high six assists.
Saša Ciani chipped in seven points on 3-for-5 shooting to go along with six rebounds, four assists and two steals. He logged 16 minutes of action off the bench.
Cincinnati won the battle on the glass, 45-41, and held a 50-32 advantage in points in the paint. The Bearcats also scored one more second-chance point (14-13) and held a 26-14 advantage in bench points. Cincinnati also scored nine more fastbreak points (25-16).
Xavier had 20 assists in the win, the team's third game of the season with 20 or more assists. The Musketeers scored three more points off of turnovers (12-9) than the Bearcats.
The Musketeers finished the game with a .415 field-goal percentage (27-for-65) and went 8-for-17 from three-point range. Xavier was also 22-for-26 from the charity stripe.
Cincinnati hit 43.2 percent (32-for-74) of its shot attempts and went 5-for-23 from behind the arc. The Bearcats were also 10-for-16 from the foul line.