Cleary Downed in Battle of the Cougars at Rochester
(Rochester, MI)-- The Cleary Cougars men's basketball team held a halftime lead, but went cold in the second half, as they fell to the St. Xavier Cougars 60-52 at the Travis Bass Classic hosted by Rochester University Saturday afternoon.
Cleary was able to build a 10-point first half lead, as they were up 16-6 through the game's first nine minutes. St. Xavier would go on a 16-11 run over the half's final eleven minutes, as Cleary took a 27-24 lead into the halftime break.
St. Xavier came out strong in the second half, quickly taking the lead, and expanding it to a ten point lead of their own, a lead that would be too much for Cleary to overcome.
Cleary's offense was held to 37% shooting in the game, while shooting 31% from three point range. St. Xavier outrebounded Cleary 37-30, and Cleary committed 20 turnovers.
Jaylen Cole-Williams was the only double-digit scorer for Cleary, posting 15 points to go with 3 assists and 5 rebounds. Bennie Crenshaw Jr. added 4 points and 8 rebounds, while AJ Hess and Anthony Ivey each had 9 points off the bench.
Cleary drops to 0-2 overall, and will be back in action next Saturday, November 11, when they travel to Spring Arbor to take on the Cougars in a non-conference bout. Tip-off is set for 1:00 PM ET.