Northern Kentucky University Athletics

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CINCINNATI - Jordan Crawford scored 16 points to lead Xavier University to an 83-66 victory against Northern Kentucky University in an exhibition game Saturday night at Cintas Center.

Crawford also added five assists for Xavier, which placed four players in double figures. Terrell Holloway added 13 points for the Musketeers, while Jamel MacLean scored 12 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Brad Redford was 4-for-4 from 3-point range and finished with 12 points for Xavier.

David Palmer scored 16 of his game-high 20 points in the first half to lead NKU. The 6-foot-9 transfer from Iowa dominated the inside during the opening 20 minutes and helped the Norse rally from an early 16-6 deficit to pull within 38-33 at the break in front a crowd of 9,574.

NKU still trailed by just five (49-44) after a Dustin Maguire 3-pointer with 15:20 remaining in the game, but Xavier used a 17-6 spurt to build a 66-50 advantage and cruised to the win.

Chris Knight scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds in his NKU debut, while Maguire added 10 points for the Norse. NKU shot 46 percent from the field and was 5-for-14 from 3-point range.

Xavier made 54.4 percent of its shots from the field and finished with a 33-25 edge on the boards. The Musketeers, now 3-0 all-time against the Norse in exhibition games, also owned an 18-0 advantage in fast-break points.

Corey Sorrell scored nine points off the bench for NKU, and teammate Yan Moukoury finished with six points and six rebounds. Ethan Faulkner dished out a game-high seven assists for the Norse.

Knight, a 6-7 transfer from Bowling Green, and Palmer each blocked two shots. Palmer was 6-for-12 from the field and made a pair of 3-pointers.

NKU concludes its exhibition schedule Monday night at 7 p.m. with a game at Dayton. The Norse begin regular-season play Nov. 15 with a road game at Grand Valley State.