Notre Dame, Ind. – A strong second half from senior guard Cedric Johnson (Bellevue, Neb./Sioux Falls/Nebraska-Kearney/Bellevue West), as he scored 17 of his game-high 24 points in the final 20 minutes, helped give the Saint Xavier University men's basketball team (15-11, 10-8 CCAC) a 65-57 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) victory over Holy Cross College Saturday afternoon at McKenna Arena in Notre Dame, Ind. Johnson was 6-for-10 from the field, including 2-for-3 from beyond the arc in the second half. Overall, he finished 9-for-20 shooting, along with a team-best seven rebounds, three assists and a steal. The Cougars held Holy Cross to just 23.5 percent (4-for-17) from deep and they outshot the Saints 44.2 percent (23-for-52) to 37.5 percent (18-for-48) from the floor.

• Junior forward Andre Brandon (Coralville, Iowa/Sauk Valley/Liberty) scored in double figures as well, finishing with 14 points and making four treys on 11 attempts. He added three rebounds and a steal in 28 minutes.
• Freshman guard Jordan Streeter (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young) scored eight points of 4-of-7 shooting, with four rebounds and a blocked shot.
• Junior guard Sando Hill (Vanoss, Okla./Lyon/Seminole State/Vanoss) collected seven points, five rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals.
• Freshman forward James Stevenson (Sun River Terrace, Ill./Momence) recorded six points, six rebounds and a steal.
• Junior Trey Ward (Chicago Ridge, Ill./Oak Lawn Community) registered three points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal.
• Saint Xavier used a 13-3 run over a five-minute stretch to take a 20-11 lead, sparked by a Streeter jumper in the lane and capped by a three-pointer by Brandon at the 9:55 mark. Redshirt freshman guard Mason Kibelkis (Peotone, Ill./Peotone) gave SXU its largest lead of the half on a three off a pass from Ward just over a minute later, 25-14. He finished the game with three points, an assist and a rebound. Johnson drained a jump shot just before the buzzer to give the Cougars a 35-29 halftime advantage.
• HCC scored the first three points to start the second half before Saint Xavier went on a 10-0 run with Johnson scoring seven points and hitting back-to-back threes to go up 45-32. Holy Cross responded with an 11-2 run of their own to cut the deficit to 47-43 with 12:17 left in regulation. Brandon hit a trey with an assist from Johnson on the next possession and SXU used a timeout to slow the pace. The Cougars maintained a three-possession lead down the stretch to come away with the road victory.

Saint Xavier (15-11, 10-8 CCAC) celebrates 'Senior Night' on Wednesday, February 21 at the Shannon Center before the play St. Ambrose University in CCAC action. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 pm start.