Men's Basketball Drops 97-77 Exhibition Game At Xavier

CINCINNATI, OHIO – The Northwood University men's basketball team wrapped up exhibition play with a 97-77 loss at Xavier Saturday afternoon (November 7).

With less than three minutes remaining in the opening half, the Timberwolves trailed by nine at 42-33. But the Musketeers finished the half strong, expanding their lead to 52-38 at the break. Xavier shot the ball well in the opening 20 minutes, going 15-27 from the floor (55.6 percent) and 5-10 from 3-point range (50.0 percent). Northwood ended up at 35.3 percent in the half (12-34) and 29.4 percent from beyond the arc (5-17).

Xavier maintained control in the second half, not allowing Northwood to get within 11 points.  The Musketeers led by as many as 28 down the stretch.

For the game, Xavier ended up shooting 52.7 percent from the floor (29-55) compared to Northwood at 36.9 percent (24-65).  The Timberwolves ended up making eight three 3-pointers compared to six for the Musketeers, but Xavier made 12 more free throws (33-21). Xavier also ended up with a 46-30 edge in rebounding.

Maurice Jones (Saginaw, Mich./Arthur Hill) led Northwood with 20 points. He also added six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Jermaine Myers (Ajax, Ontario) added 11 points off the bench.

Northwood will open the regular season at Bellarmine Saturday (November 14). Game time is set for 8 p.m.