CINCINNATI, Ohio – Cincinnati forward Eric Hicks scored 16 points and hauled in 12 rebounds to lead the 20th ranked Bearcats past the Xavier University men’s basketball team, 65-54, in the 72nd edition of the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout at Fifth Third Bank Arena on the campus of the University of Cincinnati.

With the loss, XU drops to 11-9 on the season and rounds out the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 6-5 mark. UC improves to 18-5 on the year.

The loss marks Xavier’s first at Fifth Third Bank Arena since the 1998-99 season and XU suffers only its second loss in the last six Shootouts.

Sophomore wing Justin Doellman led the way for the Musketeers with 10 points and six rebounds. Doellman also swatted three shots on the evening.

Freshman standout Stanley Burrell led the Musketeers in the scoring column with 12 points.

Sophomore Justin Cage added 10 points and snared seven tough rebounds for the Musketeers.

The Musketeers trailed 28-22 at the break, but the Bearcats used a 27-10 run over the last 2:20 of the first half and the first 8-minutes of the second half to take a commanding 49-30 lead with 12:00 to go in the contest.

UC took its largest lead of the contest, 61-41, with 6:30 to go in the second half on a Jihad Muhammad fast break lay up.

XU responded with a 13-3 run over the next 5:10 to pull to within 10-points, 64-54 with 1:20 to go but would be unable to shrink the lead any further.

Xavier was out rebounded 43-to-36 on the evening but the Bearcats held only a 17-to-15 edge on the offensive glass.

Xavier held UC to a frigid 15.4 percent (2-of-13) from the 3-point arc but the Musketeers shot an equally chilly 18.8 percent (3-of-16) from beyond the arc.

XU fell behind the Bearcats 8-2 in the early goings, but sprinted out to a 6-0 spurt to knot the score up at eight with 13:30 remaining in the first half on a Keith Jackson jumper.

UC would respond with a 10-2 run over the next 3:20 to take its largest lead of the half, 18-10, at the 9-minute mark.

The Musketeers would not go away though and cut the UC lead to two points, 22-20, on a Jackson put back with 4:30 to go. XU would manage only one more field goal in the first stanza and Cincinnati took a 28-22 lead into the locker room.

XU is back in action on Sunday, February 13 when the team returns to A-10 action to take on Duquesne. Game time is set for 2:00 p.m. at the A.J. Palumbo Center in Pittsburgh.