CHICAGO --- Rahmel Davis and Te Jones both hit the 20-point scoring plateau, but a failed tip-in of a missed free throw attempt at the buzzer denied the University of St. Francis men's basketball team of playing its fourth overtime game of the season as Saint Xavier University escaped with a 77-75 victory in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday night at the Sullivan Center.

The Fighting Saints (4-10, 3-6 CCAC) rallied from a 12-point deficit in the second half to get within a basket four times in the closing 22 seconds, including 75-74 with 3.6 seconds to play.  Saint Xavier (11-6, 6-3) followed with a pair of free throws with 2.2 seconds remaining to make it 77-74.

Nick Niego (7 points) was then fouled on the ensuing inbounds play, leaving 0.3 seconds on the clock.  Niego converted the first free throw before purposely missing his second attempt, which Davis tried to tip-in at the buzzer only to come up empty.

Davis would finish with a team-high 21 points, a season-high nine rebounds and three assists, while Jones tallied his most points as a Saint, authoring 20 markers.  Also scoring in double figures were EJ Charles (13 points, 5 blocked shots) and Shir Moraidi (11 points), while Nadav Gerner contributed five assists.

Saint Xavier, which won for the ninth time in ten games, also had a pair of 20-point scorers.  Cedric Johnson led all players on the night with his double-double (26 points, 10 rebounds), while Andre Brandon delivered 20 points and eight boards.

Despite both teams totaling just nine turnovers each, USF converted on nearly every SXU miscue to gain a 17-9 edge in points off turnovers.  The Saints also shot 42.1 percent from three-point range (8-of-19) and 76 percent at the foul line (19-of-25). 

Saint Xavier shot slightly better than St. Francis overall at 45.8 percent (27-of-59), including 48 percent in the second half (12-of-25), to USF's 40.7 percent reading (24-of-59).

The Saints also trailed by as many as ten points (32-22) in the opening half, but got that down to one point in the closing seconds with nine unanswered points – five from Davis – before settling for a 34-31 deficit at the break.         

The contest was the seventh one decided by nine points or less this season.

Notes: For the third game in a row, the Saints shot no less than 76 percent from the charity stripe … Davis hit for 20-plus points for the second time in three games.  He missed out on authoring his first double-double as a Saint by one board … Moraidi, playing in just his second game at St. Francis, hit for double figures in scoring for the first time … Charles' five blocks were both a personal career-high and team season-high effort … The Saints also tied a team season high with their seven blocks … Wednesday marked the third time this season that USF committed single-digit turnovers … St. Francis' 25 free-throw attempts tied a season high … The Saints return home for a 3 pm matinee special against league foe St. Ambrose University on Saturday.  

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