Game Information
Score: No. 22 Keiser 83, Saint Xavier 92
Records: No. 22 Keiser (11-2), Saint Xavier (10-4)
Location: Student Life Center, West Palm Beach, Fla.

No. 22 Keiser was downed by visiting Saint Xavier, 92-83, as the Cougars held on to a halftime lead to hand the Seahawks just their second loss of the season and first defeat inside the Student Life Center.

How it Happened
First Half: No. 22 Keiser 35, Saint Xavier 46

• The Seahawks rattled off the game's opening six points before going in front 9-2 after a contested three-pointer by Mark Gordon.
• Saint Xavier countered with eight straight points to take their first lead of the game, 10-9, with 15:47 on the clock.
• A 7-2 spurt saw the Seahawks go right back in front, 16-12, with 12:35 left in the opening half.
• The Cougars counted with eight unanswered points, giving the guests a 20-16 lead nearing the midway point of the half.
• After Keiser got to within three, SXU used a 9-0 run to take their first double-digit lead of the evening, 34-22 with 5:43 on the clock.
• Jimmy Sylvain netted the next seven points for KU, which included a tough finish and the foul for a traditional three-point play, bringing the Seahawks to within seven, 36-29, with 3:48 still to play.
• As the half reached its conclusion, Saint Xavier held a 46-35 advantage as they shot 54.3 percent from the field.  

Second Half: No. 22 Keiser 83, Saint Xavier 92

• Keiser faced their largest deficit of the game, 54-40, as the Cougars' Joshua Evans netted his 20th point of the game with a driving layup with 17:14 still to play.
• The Seahawks began to slowly chip away at the Cougars' advantage, drawing to within five points, 62-57, with 12:19 remaining. Keiser utilized a 7-1 run to get within striking distance, capped off by back-to-back buckets from Gordon.
• The Cougars settled back down, using an 11-3 spurt to extend their advantage to 73-60 with 8:53 on the clock.
• The Seahawks scored 11 of the game's next 15 points to trail 77-71 as the clock went under five minutes. Marko Radulovic and Mabry connected on consecutive three-pointers during the stretch of play.
• Evans found the mark with a three-pointer of his own with 4:01 on the clock as the Cougars still led 80-71, forcing KU to call a timeout with 2:58 still to play.
• Out of the timeout, Chance Anderson scored on a lay-in but Saint Xavier responded with the next six points to establish a 86-73 edge.
• Gordon swooped in for a transition layup off a steal to make it 86-75, but the clock went under one minute, and the Seahawks were forced to begin to foul.
• Saint Xavier came up empty on a 1-and-1, however, and Anderson sank a three-pointer off the dish from Gordon to make it 86-78 before Keiser called a timeout with 49 seconds left.
• After the Cougars got yet another key basket from Evans, the game became a free-throw contest.
• Saint Xavier made enough of them and Keiser's offense simply didn't have enough time to mount a comeback, as the Cougars held on to seal the 92-83 result on the road.

 KU Highlights

• 4-1: Despite the defeat, KU still holds a 4-1 advantage in the all-time series with Saint Xavier.
• 7: Anderson collected his seventh double-double of the season, and his final stat line included 19 points, a game-high 11 rebounds, three assists, and a game-high three blocks.
• 15-6-6: Mabry finished with 15 points to go along with six rebounds and a game and season-high six assists.
• 15-21: Keiser collected 15 offensive rebounds which led to 21 second chance points.
• 22-0: The Seahawks' bench produced 22 points in the contest, while the Cougars bench went scoreless.
• 23: Gordon led the KU offense with 23 points, and he has now eclipsed the 20-point mark in every appearance this season. 
• 50-48: Both teams did most of their damage from the interior, and the Cougars held a 50-48 edge in points in the paint.

Team Leaders
KU

• PTS: Gordon, 23
• REB: Anderson, 11
• A: Mabry, 6
• STL: Three with 2…
• BLK: Anderson, 3

Saint Xavier

• PTS: Evans, 35
• REB: Halverson, 11
• A: Brody, 5
• STL: Three with 2…
• BLK: Halverson, 3

 
Up Next
No. 22 Keiser will look to bounce back in a clash with No. 7 Dakota Wesleyan at the Cruzin' Classic on Friday, December 20. The Seahawks' final non-conference game of the season will be played at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and the tip-off is slated for 4:00 p.m.