The Xavier Musketeers took a two-point lead over the No. 11 Cincinnati Bearcats into halftime, but their upset bid was squashed early in the second frame by a suffocating Bearcats defense. Cincinnati outscored Xavier by 17 points in the second half en route to a 60-45 victory in the schools' first meeting since the now infamous brawl a year ago.
No. 11 Cincinnati vs. Xavier final score: Bearcats ride big second half to victory
Cincinnati separated from Xavier in the second half en route to a 60-45 victory.
USA TODAY Sports
As the score indicates, it wasn’t a pretty game — neither team shot over 40 percent from the field, and they combined to go 7-of-37 from three-point range. The Bearcats, in fact, won by 15 points despite shooting just 33 percent from the field and 21 percent from three. They dominated in a few key categories, though, which helped propel them to victory.
The Bearcats were able to overcome their shooting deficiency by dominating on the glass. They snatched 11 more rebounds than Xavier, which led to 12 more shots. They also made their free throws -- the Bearcats went 13-of-19 from the line as a team, while the Musketeers shot a shockingly bad 3-of-14 from the charity stripe.
A win is a win, though, and the Bearcats stayed undefeated on the season. Cincinnati will have one more major test before conference play when they host the New Mexico Lobos on Dec. 27. Xavier, meanwhile, will visit the Tennessee Volunteers and Wake Forest Demon Deacons before getting into the Atlantic 10 schedule.
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