On Monday, February 7, The Saint Xavier men’s basketball team lost on the road to the Indiana South Bend Titans by a score of 76-60.
The Titans were in control of this matchup throughout, as the Cougars never held the lead at any point during the game. The game remained close for the first five minutes of action, but eventually the Titans would go on a massive 20 to four scoring run that lasted for a majority of the first half.
Although the Cougars would outscore the Titans in the second half, they never got enough momentum to make a serious dent in the Titans’ lead. The Titans biggest lead of the game was 18 points, and the Cougars never got the deficit below nine in the second half.
The lone bright spots for the Cougars were seniors, Jack Halverson and Maurice Chambers. Chambers led the team in scoring with 21 points, while Halverson also scored in double-figures with 13 points. Both were efficient in their scoring, as Chambers went six of 11 from the field while Halverson was six of nine.
Aside from those two, it was a pretty rough night for the Cougars as a whole. The team shot just 39% from the field and was a rough seven of 32 on three-point attempts. The Cougars also struggled to take care of the ball, as they racked up 17 turnovers which the Titans were able to turn into 21 points.
The Cougars only tallied eight assists on the night as well, so the ball movement was a major issue for them throughout.
For the Titans, it was mainly that of a total team effort that ultimately won them this game. Both the Titans and the Cougars only had two double-digit scorers, but every Titans player that did get in the game, scored at least six points. South Bend also shot an efficient 12 of 24 from three, which would end up being their main source of points for the night.
The Titans have been a tough opponent for the Cougars as of late. Not only are the Titans ranked 22nd in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Coaches’ Poll, but they are the defending champions of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) as well. The Cougars have now lost their last five matchups against the Titans, and were swept in their season series against them this year.
This loss also unfortunately ended the Cougars five-game win streak.
Despite this loss, the Cougars are still in fourth place in the CCAC with a 14-11 overall record, and a 11-6 record in conference play. Their next game will be on the road Thursday, as they travel to face Roosevelt University at 7:30 p.m.
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