Men's Basketball Falls at Butler

Wednesday, March 6

Indianapolis, Ind.

7:30 p.m.

Xavier University

15-15,9-10Big East

Butler

18-13,9-11Big East

Xavier

Butler

03.06.24 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photos Season Stats Box Score

Desmond Claude scores 17 to lead three Musketeers in double figures

By: Xavier Athletic Communications

INDIANAPOLIS - Desmond Claude led three Musketeers in double figures as Xavier fell to Butler, 72-66, at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Wednesday evening. Xavier moved to 15-15 overall and 9-10 in BIG EAST.

After trading baskets for the first few minutes, Butler went on a 17-0 run to stretch the lead out to 16. The Musketeers would cut the lead back to eight, 22-14, but the Bulldogs stretched the lead back to 17 before four-straight points from Xavier to close the half, setting the halftime score at 37-24. Desmond Claude led all scorers with 13 first-half points.

Xavier continued its run from the first half to begin the second, scoring 12-unanswered to get within five, 37-32, with 14 minutes remaining. The two teams traded runs, with Butler extending the lead back to as many as 14 in the second half, while Xavier would get as close as five over the next 10 minutes.

In the final two minutes, the Musketeers scored nine unanswered points to cut the Butler lead to four, 70-66, but a pair of Bulldog free throws set the final score at 72-66.

NOTABLES

Desmond Claude finished with 17 points after scoring 13 in the first half.
Dayvion McKnight added 13 points after scoring 11 in the second half.
Quincy Olivari scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Abou Ousmane grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Musketeers who finished with a 44-35 advantage on the boards.
Xavier had a 12-7 advantage on the offensive glass and a 12-6 advantage on second chance points.
The Musketeers shot 37.3 percent from the field, going 4-of-13 from three, while Butler shot 40.9 percent from the floor, going 6-of-24 from outside.

UP NEXT

Xavier wraps up the regular season on Saturday, March 9, hosting Marquette at Cintas Center. Tip off with the Golden Eagles is set for 5:00 p.m. on FOX.

HIGHLIGHTS