CHICAGO – Senior forward Andre Brandon (Coralville, Iowa/Sauk Valley/Liberty) recorded his second double-double of the season, scoring a season-high 19 points with 12 rebounds to help lead Saint Xavier University men's basketball (4-1, 1-0 CCAC) to a 97-87 victory over Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) in their Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) opener Wednesday evening on Bob Hallberg Court at the Shannon Center in Chicago, Ill. Brandon was 7-for-12 from the floor and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc, while adding three assists and two blocks. As a team, the Cougars finished 50.0 percent from the field (31-for-62), the third time in five games that they had shot 50.0 percent or better to start the 2024-25 campaign. SXU shot 47.8 percent (11-for-23) from three-point range and shot a season-best 82.8 percent (24-for-29) from the foul line.

Saint Xavier maintained control in the first half, after a slow start, they built a 12-point advantage, 36-24, after a three by junior forward Davion Lawrence (Oak Lawn, Ill./Moraine Valley/Oak Lawn Community) with 4:48 left. The Tigers responded with a 15-4 run to close the half with the Cougars on top 40-39 at the break. ONU took its first lead in the second half and went up 60-56 with 13:15 remaining in regulation. SXU scored on its next three possessions, a pair of treys and a layup, highlighted by a three-pointer by junior guard Mekhi Wilson (Covington, Ky./Iowa Central/Covington Catholic) that put Saint Xavier back up 64-62 at the 11:04 mark and they held onto the lead down the stretch, closing out the contest by going 10-for-10 from the free-throw line.

• Wilson scored 15 points and was 5-for-9 shooting, making 4-for-5 from deep. He also had two steals, an assist and a block in 16 minutes off the bench.
• Fifth-year senior guard Julian Barr (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln Land/Lincoln-Way East) also tallied 15 points on 5-for-10 shooting from the field, with four rebounds and two steals.
• Lawrence collected 13 points, knocking down 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, while adding four rebounds and a steal.
• Senior guard Jordan Jackson (Grand Rapids, Mich./Northwood/Wilmington/East Kentwood) registered 13 points, making five of his seven shots, with a season-best four blocked shots, an assist, a rebound and a steal.
• Senior forward Kevin Bishop (Cleveland, Ohio/Pikeville/Parkland/Cleveland Benedictine) was the sixth player for the Cougars to score in double-figures, adding 10 points. He also had four rebounds, two assists and a steal.
• Junior guard Ashton Atwater (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo Valley/Ostego) added six points, four assists, three rebounds and a team-best three steals.
• Junior guard DJ Shelton (Chicago, Ill./Calumet St. Joseph/UTTC/Thornridge) provided a spark in reserve, handing out a team-high five assists with four points, two rebounds and a steal in only nine minutes.

Saint Xavier (4-1, 1-0 CCAC) makes its way to Elgin, Ill. to take on Judson University (Ill.) in CCAC action on Tuesday, November 26. The game is scheduled for a 7:30 pm tipoff.