Bourbonnais, Ill. – Despite a team-leading 16 points from senior forward Davion Lawrence (Oak Lawn, Ill./Moraine Valley/Oak Lawn Community), the Saint Xavier University men's basketball team (4-7, 2-2 CCAC) lost 85-74 to Olivet Nazarene University in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) play Saturday afternoon at McHie Arena in Bourbonnais, Ill. Lawrence tied his season-high with four three-pointers made, finishing 4-for-9, while going 5-for-12 from the field overall. He added two rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot in 29 minutes of action. As a team, the Cougars shot 49.2 percent (30-for-61) from the floor, their second-best shooting effort of the season. SXU also collected 10 steals, the seventh time in 11 games that they have had 10 or more takeaways in a game on the year.

After falling behind 5-0 to start the game, Lawrence capped an 8-0 run with a three-pointer at the 17:05 mark. The teams would trade the lead over the next 10 minutes until senior guard Mekhi Wilson (Covington, Ky./Iowa Central/Covington Catholic) made a jumper to put Saint Xavier ahead 25-24 with 7:21 to play in the opening half. The Cougars added to the lead, using a 12-5 run to hold their largest lead, 37-29, after a trey by senior Ike Nwaobi (York/Kilgore/Costal Bend/Westbrook). SXU held a 43-40 advantage heading into the locker room.

In the second half, the Tigers rallied to take a 55-53 lead five minutes into the frame. ONU maintained a two-possession lead until Lawrence drained a three-pointer on an assist from Nwaobi to tie the game at 68-68 with 6:03 left in regulation. Olivet Nazarene made a basket on its next trip down the court and would hold on to the lead the rest of the contest, shooting 57.1 percent (16-for-28) in the second half to the Cougars' 48.1 percent (13-for-27).

• Senior guard Jerry Abushanab (Glendale Heights, Ill./Oklahoma Panhandle State/Southwest Baptist/Link Prep) collected 13 points on 5-for-10 shooting, four rebound, three assists and a season-high tying two blocks in 28 minutes on the court.
• Nwaobi tallied 13 points as well, making 6-of-11 shot attempts. He also had a team-leading five rebounds with two assists in 18 minutes off the bench.
• Junior forward Marko Tojagic (Belgrade, Serbia/Saint Andrews) made four of his five shot attempts, coming away with eight points, three rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot.
• Wilson posted seven points on 3-for-6 shooting with a season-best three steals, an assist and a rebound.
• Junior guard James Morgan (Chicago, Ill./South Suburban/Lincoln Land/East Chicago Central) recorded seven points, three rebounds and a block.
• Redshirt junior guard MJ Galimah (Coon Rapids, Mich./St. Cloud Tech/Riverland/Coon Rapids) logged four points, two rebounds, an assist, a blocked shot and a steal.
• Redshirt junior guard Mason Kibelkis (Peotone, Ill./Peotone) and redshirt sophomore guard Jordan Streeter (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young) each had three points, respectively. Kibeklis added two rebounds and two steals, while Streeter finished with two assists and a pair of steals.

Saint Xavier (4-7, 2-2 CCAC) returns to the Shannon Center to play St. Ambrose University (Iowa) in CCAC action on Saturday, December 13. The game is scheduled for a 3:00 pm start.