Men's Basketball Falls Short In Back-And-Forth Contest At Xavier

CINCINNATI, Ohio - Xavier went on an 11-0 run midway through the second half to break open a tight contest as TSU dropped its season opener 78-69 Monday night.
 
Tied at 10 in the first half, the trio of Kolby Granger, Oumar Koureissi and Kavion McClain sparked an 8-0 run as TSU opened an 18-10 lead. Xavier cut it to 18-14 but TSU kept the pressure on its BIG EAST foe as they upped the margin back to eight (24-16) at the 9:01 mark. The Muskateers cut the lead to 24-21 but TSU continued to take their best punch as Granger's three-point play and Alex Anderson's trey moved the lead back to 30-21.
 
Xavier did its best to try and chip away but the Tigers held their ground en route to a 38-34 halftime lead.
 
Xavier would take the lead early in the second half as they upped it to 45-40 nearly three minutes in. Down 49-48, Kolby Granger's three-pointer moved TSU back ahead 51-49 but Xavier tied it at 51. McClain's trey moved TSU back on top 54-51 as there were two more ties from that point.
 
Xavier would hit three consecutive baskets while TSU would miss its next three during a 2:19 span as the Muskateers moved ahead 65-55. TSU would get within eight on several occasions down the stretch but couldn't overcome the deficit as Xavier won for the second time in series history.
 
McClain finished with 21 points off the bench while Granger followed with 15. Kenny Hunter led TSU with six boards. Grayson Carter chipped in with 10 points.
 
TSU is back in action at home on Wednesday against Texas A&M-San Antonio at 6 p.m.