St. Joseph's 72 - 76 Xavier
Final
  for this game

Xavier, St. Joseph's square off for first place

Feb 10, 2008 - 2:49 PM Saint Joseph's (15-6) at No. 14 Xavier (19-4) Noon EST

CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- Xavier catapulted past St. Joseph's and into sole possesion of first place in the Atlantic 10 Conference this week. The 14th-ranked Musketeers will look to stay there when they host the Hawks on Sunday.

Xavier, which has won five straight and 11 of 12, escaped with a 70-68 win over St. Louis on Thursday thanks to Derrick Brown's tip-in at the buzzer. Josh Duncan led a balanced attack with 15 points.

Thursday's win, coupled with St. Joseph's loss to Duquesne on Wednesday, helped the Musketeers (19-4, 7-1 A-10) move into first place.

Xavier, which has six players averaging double figures, are also on the verge of its third straight 20-win season.

Meanwhile, the Hawks (15-6, 6-2) can climb into a tie for the conference lead with a win.

St. Joseph's may be without its second-leading scorer. Junior forward Ahmad Nivins, who is averaging 14.2 points and 6.5 rebounds, is a game-time decision due to a sprained ankle.

The Hawks have lost six straight games to ranked opponents since beating Wake Forest in the 2004 NCAA Tournament.

The teams have split the last six meetings. The Musketeers won the most recent matchup, 72-62, here on February 28, 2007.






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