Goshen, Ind. – Senior guard
Cedric Johnson (Bellevue, Neb./Sioux Falls/Nebraska-Kearney/Bellevue West) scored a season-high 30 points on 11-for-20 shooting (55.0 percent) and he pulled down 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season to guide Saint Xavier University men's basketball (5-5, 2-2 CCAC) to a 77-67 victory over Goshen College (Ind.) in a non-conference contest Tuesday afternoon at Gunden Gymnasium in Goshen, Ind. Johnson was also 7-for-8 from the foul line, along with five assists, a block and a steal. Earlier in the day he was named the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the first time in his career.
- Junior forward Andre Brandon (Coralville, Iowa/Sauk Valley/Liberty) recorded a double-double as well with 11 points and 10 rebounds. He is tied with Johnson for the team lead with three double-doubles and now has five games with 10 or more rebounds on the season. Brandon also had a pair of blocks for the Cougars.
- Junior guard Sando Hill (Vanoss, Okla./Lyon/Seminole State/Vanoss) went 4-for-8 from the field, collecting 11 points, four assists, a team-best four steals and three rebounds in 33 minutes of action.
- Freshman forward James Stevenson (Sun River Terrace, Ill./Momence) scored a career-high 10 points on 5-for-9 shooting and he hauled in a career-best seven rebounds. Stevenson added two assists and a blocked shot.
- Freshman guard Jordan Streeter (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young) chipped in nine points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal.
- Saint Xavier shot at a 53.6 percent clip (30-for-56), topping the 50.0 percent mark for the second consecutive game and third time overall this year. They also tied their season-high with 15 assists and have won three games in a row and four of their last five contests.
- The Cougars jumped out to a 14-0 lead to start the game after scored on a fast-break layup set up by a steal and an assist from Hill forcing a Maple Leafs timeout at the 16:02 mark. SXU maintained its double-digit lead for the remainder of the half and built its largest lead, 34-13, on a three-pointer by Brandon with 6:41 to go. Saint Xavier went into the locker room with a 42-25 lead at halftime. Johnson had 15 points in 17 minutes on 6-of-8 shooting, while Brandon, Hill and Streeter each had six points, respectively.
- Hill came away with steal and raced down the court for a basket to push the lead up to 54-33 with 14:42 remaining in regulation. Goshen responded with a 21-7 run over the next seven minutes, capped by a three, to cut the deficit to 61-54 at the 7:43 mark. Brandon slowed the momentum as he converted an 'old-fashioned' three-point play on the next SXU possession to extend the advantage back to 10. The Cougars kept its lead down the stretch, keeping a two-possession lead the entire way, to close out the road win.
Saint Xavier (5-5, 2-2 CCAC) hosts Indiana University Northwest at the Shannon Center on Saturday, December 16 in CCAC action. The game is scheduled for a 3:00 pm tipoff on Bob Hallberg Court.
