CINCINNATI (AP) -- Naji Marshall scored 14 points and Tyrique Jones, Ryan Welage and Zach Hankins each scored 11 lifting Xavier past Oakland 73-63 on Saturday afternoon in Cintas Center.
Xavier Hill-Mais scored 22 of his team-leading 30 points in the first half. Braden Norris added 14 points for underdog Oakland which was within three points late in the second half.
Oakland (3-5) made three of its first four three-point attempts to build an 11-4 lead. The Grizzlies finished the game 11 of 28 from distance.
The Musketeers (5-3) had no answer for Hill-Mais in the first half. But limited him to only six shot attempts after halftime.
The Musketeers turned up their defensive intensity coming out of halftime. Paul Scruggs had two steals which resulted in layups helping them build an 11-point lead. He scored 10 points.
But the Grizzlies got hot again from the perimeter. Karmari Newman's third 3-pointer cut Xavier's lead to 53-50 with 12:42 left.
Scruggs picked up his fourth foul with 8:32 left limiting the Musketeers' defense. He fouled out with two minutes left.
It was still a two-possession game when Welage hit a 3-pointer with 39 seconds left to seal the win for Xavier.
BIG PICTURE:
Oakland: The Grizzlies still are looking for more scoring production outside of Hill-Mais and Norris who score more than half of their points through eight games. They combined for 44 of the Grizzlies' 63 points on Saturday.
Xavier: Maintaining their defensive intensity for 40 minutes has been an issue for the Musketeers who blew a 19-point lead in a loss to San Diego State in the Maui Classic earlier this month. On Saturday, the Musketeers had an 11-point lead in the second half but again lost focus as the Grizzlies rallied back to within three.
UP NEXT:
Oakland plays at Fairfield on Thursday.
Xavier hosts Ohio on Wednesday to conclude a three-game homestand.
