The game was tight from the opening tip, as neither team was able to lead by more than three points through the first six minutes. UC led Xavier 9-6 with 13:49 left in the first half. Justin Jenifer was the engine for UC in this time, scoring three points and dishing out two assists.
The back and forth affair continued, as Xavier managed to outscore UC 7-3 to lead 13-12 with 10:58 left, due to three-pointers from Quentin Goodin and Naji Marshall.
UC briefly took the lead, 14-13, before Ryan Welage immediately answered with a three-pointer to take a 16-14 lead.