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Free-Throw Disparity, Late Run Send Xavier to 86–77 Road Loss at DePaul
By
Musketeer Madness,
1/3/2026
Xavier dropped an 86–77 decision at DePaul on Saturday afternoon at Wintrust Arena, unable to overcome efficient Blue Demons shooting and a decisive stretch late in the second half. The loss dropped the Musketeers to 9–6 overall and 1–3 in Big East play, while DePaul improved to 9–6 and 1–3 in the conference.
The game was tightly contested early, featuring six ties and six lead changes in the first half. Xavier kept pace behind balanced scoring and strong interior play, but DePaul closed the half on a late run to take a 40–37 advantage into the break. The Blue Demons shot 48.3 percent in the opening half, while Xavier connected on 44.4 percent of its attempts.
Xavier briefly grabbed momentum early in the second half, taking a 41–40 lead after a 3-pointer from Malik Messina-Moore. However, DePaul responded with timely perimeter shooting and trips to the free-throw line, steadily rebuilding its cushion. DePaul outscored Xavier 46–40 after halftime and shot 52.2 percent in the second half.
Tre Carroll led Xavier with 17 points, adding seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals in 34 minutes. Roddie Anderson III followed with 15 points and five assists, while Messina-Moore contributed 14 points and three assists. Filip Borovicanin added 10 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, recording a double-double to anchor the Musketeers inside.
Xavier finished the game shooting 40.6 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point range, knocking down 11 triples. The Musketeers held a slight rebounding edge at 34–35 and scored 30 points in the paint, but DePaul’s advantage at the foul line proved costly, as the Blue Demons went 25-of-31 at the stripe compared to Xavier’s 10-of-14.
DePaul was led by CJ Gunn’s 22 points, with Layden Blocker adding 18 and Brandon Maclin scoring 13 off the bench. Xavier battled until the final minutes, cutting the deficit to one possession on multiple occasions, but DePaul’s free-throw shooting and late execution sealed the outcome as the Musketeers came up short on the road.
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Free-Throw Disparity, Late Run Send Xavier to 86–77 Road Loss at DePaul
Xavier dropped an 86–77 decision at DePaul on Saturday afternoon at Wintrust Arena, unable to overcome efficient Blue Demons shooting and a decisive stretch late in the second half. The loss dropped the Musketeers to 9–6 overall and 1–3 in Big East play, while DePaul improved to 9–6 and 1–3 in the conference.
The game was tightly contested early, featuring six ties and six lead changes in the first half. Xavier kept pace behind balanced scoring and strong interior play, but DePaul closed the half on a late run to take a 40–37 advantage into the break. The Blue Demons shot 48.3 percent in the opening half, while Xavier connected on 44.4 percent of its attempts.
Xavier briefly grabbed momentum early in the second half, taking a 41–40 lead after a 3-pointer from Malik Messina-Moore. However, DePaul responded with timely perimeter shooting and trips to the free-throw line, steadily rebuilding its cushion. DePaul outscored Xavier 46–40 after halftime and shot 52.2 percent in the second half.
Tre Carroll led Xavier with 17 points, adding seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals in 34 minutes. Roddie Anderson III followed with 15 points and five assists, while Messina-Moore contributed 14 points and three assists. Filip Borovicanin added 10 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, recording a double-double to anchor the Musketeers inside.
Xavier finished the game shooting 40.6 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point range, knocking down 11 triples. The Musketeers scored 30 points in the paint and recorded 19 assists, but DePaul’s advantage at the foul line proved costly, as the Blue Demons went 25-of-31 at the stripe compared to Xavier’s 10-of-14.
DePaul was led by CJ Gunn’s 22 points, with Layden Blocker adding 18 and Brandon Maclin scoring 13 off the bench. Xavier battled until the final minutes, cutting the deficit to one possession on multiple occasions, but DePaul’s free-throw shooting and late execution sealed the outcome as the Musketeers came up short on the road.
Next up for Xavier is another BIG EAST road challenge as the Musketeers travel to face Marquette in Milwaukee on Wednesday, January 7. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.
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