Joliet, Ill. – Junior forward Davion Lawrence (Oak Lawn, Ill./Moraine Valley/Oak Lawn Community) tied his season-high with 20 points, sinking 4-or-8 three-point attempts, and going 6-for-13 overall from the field, however the Saint Xavier University men's basketball team (12-5, 7-2 CCAC) lost to University of St. Francis (Ill.) in a matchup of the top two teams in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Wednesday evening at the Sullivan Center in Joliet, Ill. Both teams combined to make 30 threes in the game, with the hosts making 66.7 percent (16-for-24) to SXU's 42.4 percent (14-for-33. Lawrence was also 4-for-5 from the free-throw line, while adding four rebounds and a blocked shot in his fourth start of the season.

USF started the game with back-to-back treys and led 11-7 at the 13:42 mark before junior guard Mekhi Wilson (Covington, Ky./Iowa Central/Covington Catholic) netted seven points to put the Cougars up 14-11 just two minutes later. The lead changed hands over the next five minutes of game time until St. Francis split a pair of foul shots to go up 31-30 with 6:34 remaining in the half and they closed out the frame on a 21-12 run. Wilson paced the Saint Xavier offense in the period, scoring 14 of his 17 points on 5-for-7 shooting. Despite 13 points from Lawrence in the second half, SXU was outshot by the Fighting Saints 72.7 percent (16-for-22) to 41.9 percent (13-for-31).

• Junior guard Deontrae Warren (Champaign, Ill./Daley/Olive Harvey/Champaign Centennial) sank five of his seven three-point attempts, tying his season-best with 18 points. He added four rebounds and a steal in 21 minutes off the bench.
• Wilson, making his first start of the year, was 6-for-11 from the floor and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc, along with a pair of rebounds and a steal.
• Junior guard Ashton Atwater (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo Valley/Ostego) recorded eight points, a team-leading five assists, three rebounds and a steal.
• Fifth-year senior guard Julian Barr (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln Land/Lincoln-Way) registered eight points as well, along with three rebounds.
• Senior forward Kevin Bishop (Cleveland, Ohio/Pikeville/Parkland/Cleveland Benedictine) collected six points, a team-best six rebounds, a season-high four assists and a steal.
• Senior guard Sando Hill (Vanoss, Okla./Lyon/Seminole State/Vanoss) added four points, three assists, two steals and a rebound.

Saint Xavier (12-5, 7-2 CCAC) makes the trip down I-57 to Bourbonnais, Ill. to play Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) in a CCAC contest on Saturday, January 18. The game is slated for a 3:00 pm tip-off.