Men's Basketball Drops Regular-Season Finale vs No. 8 Marquette

Saturday, March 9

Cincinnati, Ohio

5 p.m.

Xavier University

15-16,9-11Big East

Marquette

23-8,14-6Big East

Marquette

Xavier

Men's Basketball Drops Regular-Season Finale vs No. 8 Marquette

03.09.24 | Men's Basketball

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Quincy Olivari scored a game-high 32 points on Saturday night

By: Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier men's basketball dropped its regular-season final, 86-80, vs No. 8 Marquette on Saturday evening at Cintas Center.

The Musketeers moved to 15-16 (9-11 BIG EAST), while the Golden Eagles improved to 23-8 (14-6 BIG EAST).

Saturday's contest featured 14 lead changes and 11 ties with neither team holding a double-figure lead. Marquette led by as many nine points (37-28) with 41 seconds left in the first half before Xavier closed the frame on a 5-0 run.

The Musketeers carried their momentum into the second half by opening the stanza on a 13-4 run, taking a five-point advantage (46-41). Xavier led by as many as six points (57-51) with 13:40 on the clock.

Xavier had its last lead, 73-72, with 4:02 left in regulation. Marquette outscored Xavier, 14-7, down the stretch to escape Cintas Center with the victory. The Golden Eagles were 4-for-4 from the floor and 4-for-5 from the foul line in the final four minutes of action.

NOTABLES

Quincy Olivari scored a game-high 32 points on 10-for-20 shooting, his ninth career game with 30 or more points. The senior guard was also 6-for-11 from behind the arc and 6-for-7 from the foul line. He added four rebounds, three assists and one steal.
Desmond Claude finished with 15 points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal. He has scored in double figures in all but three games this season.
Dayvion McKnight posted 16 points on 5-for-10 shooting to go along with a team-high eight assists. The guard added four rebounds and one steal.
Lazar Djokovic finished with nine points on 3-for-3 shooting to go along with six rebounds in 33 minutes of action off the bench.
Abou Ousmane added six rebounds and two points in 16 minutes of action.
Xavier finished the game with a .481 field-goal percentage (26-for-54). The Musketeers were also 7-for-17 from behind the arc and 21-for-27 from the foul line.
Xavier won the battle on the glass, 30-25, and scored eight more fastbreak points (14-6) than the Golden Eagles. Marquette held a 14-7 advantage in points off of turnovers and scored 16 more points in the paint (44-28).