Desmond Claude, Quincy Olivari Lead Musketeers to 88-77 Win Over St. John's

Wednesday, January 31

Cincinnati, Ohio

6:30 p.m.

Xavier University

11-10,5-5Big East

St. John's

13-8,5-5Big East

St. John's (NY)

Xavier

Desmond Claude, Quincy Olivari Lead Musketeers to 88-77 Win Over St. John's

01.31.24 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photos Box Score Season Stats

Duo scores 23 each, Dayvion McKnight adds 19 points

By: Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - A trio of Musketeers scored in double figures to lead Xavier men's basketball to the 88-77 win over St. John's at Cintas Center on Wednesday evening.

Quincy Olivari and Desmond Claude each finished with 23 points and Dayvion McKnight had 19 as the Musketeers moved to 11-10 overall and 5-5 in BIG EAST play.

St. John's scored the opening bucket before Xavier scored six straight, not trailing for the rest of the half. The Musketeers used a 11-3 run midway through the first half to lead by as many as eight before going into the break up 38-34. Quincy Olivari and Dayvion McKnight each had eight in the first half to lead the Musketeers.

In the second half, the Musketeers stretched the lead out to as many as 11 in the first 10 minutes before St. John's began to chip away at the lead, with the game tied at 75-57 with less than four minutes remaining. Xavier outscored the Red Storm 13-2 over the final 3:02, with eight points from Quincy Olivari during that stretch, to set the final score at 88-77. Desmond Claude had 16 in the second half, while Olivari added 15 after the break.

NOTABLES

Quincy Olivari finished with 23 points after scoring eight in the final two minutes, connecting on four three pointers. Olivari also grabbed seven rebounds and had four steals.
Desmond Claude had 23 points after scoring 16 in the second half, finishing 11-12 from the free throw line.
Dayvion McKnight added 19 points shooting 6-of-9 overall from the floor. He dished out a team-high six assists and grabbed five rebounds
Xavier shot 44.3 percent to St. John's 42.9 percent overall, but the Musketeers connected on seven three points, to only two made outside shots for the Red Storm.
Xavier had a 17-5 advantage on fast-break points in the first half, finishing the game with a 28-11 advantage in the category.
Abou Ousmane grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and the Musketeer finished with a 44-34 advantage on the boards.

UP NEXT

Xavier heads out on the road for its next match-up, traveling to DePaul on Saturday, February 3 at Wintrust Arena. The Musketeers and the Blue Demons are set for a 9:30 p.m. ET tip on FS1.

HIGHLIGHTS