Cincinnati, Ohio – Malik Messina-Moore tallied 17 points to lead Xavier University to a 74-69 win over the Le Moyne College men's basketball team on Thursday night at the Cintas Center.

Redshirt junior guard Trent Mosquera (Boston, Mass./Belmont Hill School) led the Dolphins offensively with a career-high 20 points, which included a career-best six three-pointers, while he added a career-high six rebounds and four assists. Redshirt sophomore guard Deng Garang (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Grimes) turned in 15 points, including nine in the second half, while sophomore guard Jakai Sanders (Brooklyn, N.Y./Eagle Academy/Saint Peter's) registered career-highs of 13 points and four assists. Graduate student guard Ametri Moss (Clarksville, Tenn./Northwest/State College of Florida/North Florida) recorded 10 points, a team-high seven rebounds and five assists. Graduate student forward Shilo Jackson (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central/Vincennes/Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) stuffed the stat sheet with six points, six rebounds and career-bests of six assists, three blocks and two steals.

Messina-Moore led three Musketeers in double figures with his 17 points, 14 of which came in the first half, while dishing out five assists. Roddie Anderson III had 12 of his 15 points in the second half, while Tre Carroll turned in 11 points, five rebounds and four assists. Filip Borovicanin pulled down a game-best 12 rebounds.

After the teams traded baskets over the first three minutes of the game, Le Moyne tallied 12 of the next 18 points to take a 19-12 lead with 11:55 remaining in the first half. Mosquera buried a pair of three-pointers in the streak, Jackson scored twice in the paint and Moss made a lay-up.

Following a timeout, the Musketeers responded with 13 of the next 16 points to take the lead for the first time. Borovicanin started the run with a dunk off a pass from Messina-Moore, who then drained back-to-back three-pointers and made a jumper after an Anderson III three-pointer.

Moss answered with a lay-up to get the Dolphins within one at the under-8 media timeout, but Xavier followed with nine of the next 11 points for a 34-26 lead with 5:25 to go. Isaiah Walker made a three-pointer off a feed from Messina-Moore, who then hit two more three-pointers in a span of 35 seconds.

Le Moyne cut its deficit in half with baskets by Sanders and Garang, but Xavier countered with a 7-2 spurt to take its largest lead of the half. Walker buried another three-pointer, Carroll made a foul shot and then All Wright connected on a three-pointer.

Garang and sophomore forward Isaac Nyakundi (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East/The MacDuffie School (Mass.)) scored in the paint around a Carroll lay-up to get the Dolphins within 43-36 at halftime.

Xavier scored five of the first seven points of the second half to take its first 10-point lead of the game, but Le Moyne responded with nine of the next 12 points to close within four with 14:29 to go. Sanders made two free throws, Jackson had a dunk, Mosquera buried his fourth three-pointer of the game and then Garang made a lay-up.

The Musketeers pushed their lead back to 10 with seven of the next eight points over three and one-half minutes. Jovan Milicevic made two free throws and a three-pointer before Borovicanin hit a jumper for a 58-48 advantage.

After the teams split the next 14 points over five and one-half minutes, Le Moyne scored nine of the next 11 points to pull within three with 2:34 remaining. Moss made two free throws, Garang drilled a three-pointer and made a lay-up and then Moss hit a step-back jumper to make it 67-64.

Xavier scored the next five points to regain control of the game. Anthony Robinson made two foul shots, Anderson III converted a lay-up and then Messina-Moore hit one free throw.

Following a lay-up by Garang and two free throws from Anderson III, Mosquera completed the game's scoring with a three-pointer.

Le Moyne (1-1), which drops to 3-5 in the state of Ohio, remains in the Buckeye State to take on Bowling Green State University on Sunday at 2:00 p.m.