On Saturday, February 19, The Saint Xavier men’s basketball team lost at home to the Olivet Nazarene Tigers by a score of 76-71 on Senior Day.
Although this game was close, it was not a back-and-forth contest. The Cougars held a 10-point lead early in the first half, but found themselves trailing by four at the halftime break. The Cougars would gain the lead back early in the second half, but the Tigers would regain it at the 14:54 mark and hold onto it for the rest of the game.
Since it was Senior Day, it was fitting that the Cougars got great performances from two of their senior standouts this year. Forward, Jack Halverson, and Guard, Joshua Evans, both led the Cougars in scoring with 23 points each. Halverson managed to go eight of 13 from the field, while Evans was eight of 19 from the field. Both players were the only Cougars to score in double figures this game.
Outside of these two performances, the Cougars as a team struggled to hit shots consistently. The Cougars shot 38.7% from the field and hit just six of their 23 three-point attempts. Halverson managed to go four for six on three-pointers, so the rest of the team just never got it going from beyond the arc. The Cougars also failed to hit a single three-pointer in the entire second half.
Despite the fact that the Cougars lost, this was still an impressive effort from the team. The Tigers are the number one team in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC), and they are ranked 13th in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Coaches’ Poll as well.
With this loss, the Cougars end their regular season with an overall record of 17-13, and a CCAC record of 14-8. The Cougars next game will be in the CCAC Tournament, when they host Roosevelt University this Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.