SXU guard Davion Lawrence attempting a shot SXU Athletics
Saint Xavier University vs. Indiana University Columbus 117-110 (W)
The men’s Saint Xavier University’s basketball game had a showdown against Indiana University Columbus and came out victorious 117-110.
The matchdown went down to the wire, but the Cougars were able to hold the lead and secure their third win of the season on Monday, Nov. 11, in the Bob Hallberg Court at the Shannon Center.
Senior guard Jordan Jackson led the way for SXU, scoring a game-high 23 points along with seven assists, seven rebounds, and one steal. Jackson was very effective from the floor, shooting 8-9 (88.9%).
SXU made history in this game, as the team was part of the sixth highest scoring game in program history. It was the most points since their 127-69 win in Nov. of 2010 against East-West University. Jackson was one of the seven players for the Cougars in double-figures.
Senior forward Kevin Bishop scored perfectly on all seven attempts. He ended the game with 16 points, four rebounds, one dished out assist, and a block.
Redshirt sophomore guard Mason Kibelkis finalized the game with a statline of 14 points. He shot 4-6 from behind the three point line with 11 minutes off the bench.
As a team, SXU shot at around 55% from the floor and 50% from beyond the arc, which led to a very good shooting night for them. The Cougars took advantage of the turnover that IU Columbus was committing as they scored 34 points off these turnovers.
IU Columbus fought back in the second half, cutting the lead down to 63-61 with 15:11 left on the clock. SXU then went on a 18-8 run to gain a 12 point advantage. Their largest lead was 22 points in the second half with 5:04 left on game clock. The Cougars played very well and looked strong entering the season.
Saint Xavier University vs. Grace College 80-102 (L)
Continuing on the week’s event, SXU returned for a matchdown, facing off against Grace College on Friday, Nov. 15, at the Bob Hallberg Court at the Shannon Center. SXU suffered their first defeat of the season, going down 102-80.
The Cougars found themselves down by eight at the half, after starting out the game in armstrong manner. In the second half, SXU were down as much as 17 points but fought back to cut down the lead to two, 78-76.
Grace College then went on an absurd 24-4 to take over and give the Cougars their first defeat of the new season and be 3-1.
Junior forward Davion Lawrence scored his season-high 16 points with 21 minutes off the bench
Junior guard Ashton Atwater finished the game with 12 points, shooting 4-7. He also dished out the most assists with five and three steals on the defensive end.
Bishop’s final statline was 12 points and five rebounds. He was excellent on defense, blocking two shots and getting two steals.
Kibelkis had another solid game from behind the three point line, shooting 3-5 and recording nine points and two rebounds playing 14 minutes off the bench.
Senior forward Andre Brandon tallied nine points. He also added five rebounds, an assist and one steal.
SXU shooting could have been better as a team overall. The team shot 9-31 from downtown, leaving them at 29%. In total, the Cougars shot 33-78, 42.3% from the floor.
The Cougars have struggled to beat Grace College over the years, as they have lost their last 6 games against them since 2015.
SXU will play their first conference game on Wednesday, Nov. 20, as they are set to take on Olivet Nazarene University at the Shannon Center. The game is set to tip off at 7:00 p.m.