Xavier Musketeers vs Illinois Fighting Illini Match Player Stats On Nov 21, 2018

Sophomore guard Elias Harden came off the bench with hot second-half shooting as Xavier topped Illinois 83-74 in the seventh-place game of the Maui Invitational on Wednesday.

Harden drained three 3-point baskets during a decisive stretch, finishing with a season-high 14 points and helping Xavier (3-3) snap a three-game losing streak that had been their longest skid since the 2016-17 season.

Quentin Goodin scored 15 points, Naji Marshall had 13 and Paul Scruggs added 10 for the Musketeers, who held a 37-25 rebounding advantage.

Xavier starters were just 2-for-12 on 3-point attempts, but Harden, who was 4-for-4, and Keonte Kennedy combined for 6-for-8 from long range off the bench.

Ayo Dosunmu's 19 points, Trent Frazier's 18 points and Aaron Jordan's 16 points paced Illinois (1-4).

Xavier broke a 50-50 tie with an 11-4 run that included a pair of Harden's 3-point baskets.

Harden added a 3-point basket as the Musketeers put together another strong stretch to extend their lead to 75-59. The Illini went more than five minutes without a field goal until Kipper Nichols connected on a jumper.

At that point, 10 of Illinois' 21 field goals were 3-pointers.

Xavier led 43-41 at halftime, shooting 68 percent from the field. But the Musketeers had 11 turnovers by the break.

Each team held a five-point edge across the first 10 minutes, but for the rest of the first half the margin was never more than four.

The Illinois and Xavier teams shared a charter flight for the trip to Hawaii. They are slated to return to the mainland together Thursday.

--Field Level Media