La Crosse, Wis. – The Saint Xavier University men's basketball team (10-13, 8-8 CCAC) closed out their 74-71 road victory over Viterbo University (Wis.) with free throws in the final minute of play, and the tying three-point attempt by the V-Hawks was off the mark as the Cougars improved to .500 in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) play Saturday afternoon at R.W. Beggs, Sr. Gymnasium in La Crosse, Wis. Senior guard Ashton Atwater (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo Valley/Ostego) tied his season-high, finishing with a game-best 18 points. Atwater was 7-for-7 from the foul line, 4-for-6 from the field and 3-for-5 from three-point range, while adding a rebound in 35 minutes on the court. With the win, the Cougars moved into a tie for sixth-place in the CCAC.

Atwater collected 10 points in the first half, and senior forward Davion Lawrence (Oak Lawn, Ill./Moraine Valley/Oak Lawn Community) knocked down back-to-back threes to tie the game at 37-37 at halftime. SXU overcame a 10-point deficit, 37-27, in the final three minutes of the first half. The lead changed hands multiple times in the second period until junior guard James Morgan (Chicago, Ill./South Suburban/Lincoln Land/East Chicago Central) made a layup and a three-pointer on consecutive possessions to put Saint Xavier up 60-55 with 7:04 remaining. The Cougars maintained the lead until Viterbo tied the game at 71-71 with a three with 2:25 left in regulation. Senior guard Jerry Abushanab (Glendale Heights, Ill./Oklahoma Panhandle State/Southwest Baptist/Link Prep) and junior guard Marko Tojagic (Belgrade, Serbia/Saint Andrews) made free throws in the final minute to secure the victory.

• Morgan posted 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting, four rebounds, two assists and a steal in 28 minutes of play.
• Abushanab made five of his nine shot attempts, collecting 15 points. He also had four assists, four rebounds and a steal while logging 35 minutes.
• Lawrence totaled 10 points and five rebounds in 29 minutes of action.
• Tojagic pulled down a career-best seven rebounds with seven points in 22 minutes on the court.
• Senior guard Ike Nwaobi (York/Kilgore/Costal Bend/Westbrook) came away with four points and four rebounds, and senior forward Grant Martin (Ridgecrest, Calif./Cal State-Long Beach/Citrus/Burroughs) added three points and a rebound.

Saint Xavier (10-13, 8-8 CCAC) makes the trip to Davenport, Iowa to play St. Ambrose University (Iowa) in a CCAC contest on Wednesday, February 11. The game is scheduled for a 7:30 pm start.