Marymount University Athletic Department issued the following announcement on Feb. 2
The Marymount University men's basketball team withstood a second-half comeback attempt against Centenary University on Wednesday night to pick up an 80-75 Atlantic East Conference victory.
The Saints, led by senior Xavier Reaves' 22 points and nine rebounds, improved to 4-2 in Atlantic East play with the win.
Layups from sophomore Montell Cooper, senior Zamir Clifton, and Reaves opened the game, with Clifton scoring on a foul and converting the three-point play. The run gave MU a 7-0 lead to start play.
A jump shot from junior Nick Rivas pushed the Saints' lead to double-digits, 15-4, less than seven minutes in.
Marymount stayed in control for the entirety of the first half, building the lead to as many as 12 points along the way. The team took a 40-30 lead into halftime.
At the break, Cooper was leading the team with 10 points and three steals. As a team, the Saints forced seven steals in the period and held the Cyclones to 35.7 percent shooting.
The Saints opened strong in the second half as well, as Reaves hit a free throw to give the team its biggest lead of the game, 53-36.
Marymount held a double-figure lead for much of the second half, but with 7:09 remaining, Centenary fought back to cut the lead down to just two, 69-67, with a 10-0 run.
The Cyclones were able to tie the score twice, but Reaves converted a layup with 2:09 to play to regain the lead for good. Rivas and senior Roey Stern combined for three free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
Reaves tallied 13 points in the half for his team-leading 22, while Cooper (14), Clifton (13), and sophomore Wyatt Hockenberry (12) all reached double-figures, as well.
The Saints will be back in action on Saturday, February 5 at the Converse Family Fieldhouse to host Atlantic East foe Marywood University. The opening tip is set for 4 p.m.
Original source can be found here.
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