Xavier vs. Cincinnati final score: Bluiett’s career night not enough for Musketeers

As it so often is, the Crosstown Shootout between the Xavier Musketeers and Cincinnati Bearcats was a great game. The Bearcats walked away with an 86-78 victory, which is good for Cincy and not so good for Xavier. We’ll get back to that in a minute.

First, let’s talk about Trevon Bluiett.

Bluiett had a career high 40 points in the loss. He was a perfect 10-10 in the first half with 26 points, including six threes. It was truly a mesmerizing performance, given the stakes and opponent.

Unfortunately for Bluiett and the Musketeers, everyone else struggled to score. JP Macura was the only other Xavier player in double figures (13).

The difference maker in the game was Cincinnati’s punishing presence on the offensive glass led to 19 offensive rebounds and 30 second-chance points. Jacob Evans led the Bearcats with 21 points, while Gary Clark had 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Former Musketeer James Farr summed the night up on Twitter shortly after the final buzzer.

Xavier head coach Chris Mack wasn’t pleased with his team either:

Yikes.

Xavier falls to 14-6 with the loss, and will head to Madison Square Garden to face St. John’s Sunday evening.