Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports
Quincy Olivari scored 22 points and Desmond Claude added 15 as Xavier defeated Winthrop 75-59 Saturday in the Skip Prosser Classic in Cincinnati.
Gytis Nemeiksa and Dayvion McKnight chipped in 11 apiece for the Musketeers (6-5), who won their second consecutive game in beating the Eagles (8-4).
Winthrop’s four-game winning streak ended despite 13 points from Nick Johnson, while Sin’Cere McMahon scored 12 and K.J. Doucet 10.
Xavier opened the second half on a 5-0 run for a 43-32 advantage with 18:03 left.
Winthrop was unfazed, fighting back behind McMahon’s back-to-back 3-pointers and a layup from Johnson. Those shots highlighted a 10-0 run that closed the gap to 43-42 with 13:28 remaining.
Xavier went nearly five minutes without scoring and turned the ball over three times before Claude hit a jumper to end the drought.
Claude later buried a key 3-pointer that pushed Xavier in front 50-42 with 11:37 remaining.
Xavier took advantage of 38 points in the paint and 12 blocked shots.
The Musketeers took control early with a 14-3 run highlighted by a 3-pointer from Nemeiksa, who stretched the Xavier lead to 23-14 with 12:43 remaining in the first half.
Olivari gave Xavier a double-digit advantage at 25-14 when he converted a turnover into a layup about 30 seconds later.
The Musketeers went three minutes without a field goal late in the half, allowing the Eagles to close the gap to 32-26. Nemeiksa ended the drought with his layup with 3:25 left and Xavier led 38-32 at halftime.
The Skip Prosser Classic is named for the former Xavier coach, who passed away in 2007. His son, Mark, is the head coach at Winthrop.
–Field Level Media