CINCINNATI - Chris Johnson recorded a double-double with 10 points and 16 rebounds, but it wasn't enough as the University of Dayton Flyers fell to the Xavier Musketeers 78-74.
Chris Wright added 10 points and nine boards as UD dropped to 13-4 overall and 2-1 in the Atlantic 10.
Marcus Johnson led Dayton with 17 and had three steals, while Rob Lowery added 13 points, eight rebonds and six assists as the Flyers lost for only the second time in their previous 13 contests.
In the 150th meeting between the two programs, it was a back-and-forth, physical struggle for the entire contest. The Flyers dominated on the glass holding a 51-31 rebounding edge and hauling in 25 offensive rebounds. Ten of Chris Johnson's 16 boards came on the offensive end.
With UD down 74-68, Wright connected on an old-fashioned three-point play getting a jumper and free throw to pull UD back within three. However, Xavier's Jordan Crawford hit his second field goal in the last three minutes with the shot clock expiring to put the Musketeers ahead for good.
Marcus Johnson would hit a three-pointer with 1.9 seconds to play, but the Flyers would come up just short in Cincinnati once again.
Xavier's Dante' Jackson earned the McCafferty-Blackburn Most Valuable Player award after scoring 19 points and hitting 5-of-8 three pointers.
Xavier, who has won 26 consecutive Atlantic 10 home games, went 8-of-16 on three-point attempts in the first 32 minutes of play. The Musketeers would finish the contest shooting 24-of-30 at the free throw line and sank 10-of-19 shots from three point range.
Xavier had a 69-62 lead with 3:39 left in regulation. Wright would connect on two free throws to cut the XU lead to five. On the ensuing possession, Jordan Crawford hit a long-range three with time expiring on the shot clock to give Xavier a 72-64 lead.
In a highly-contested first half, both team's leading scorers, UD's Wright and XU's Jordan Crawford, both picked up three fouls in the first 20 minutes of play. Dayton held a 39-36 lead at the half with Chris Johnson tallying eight points and nine rebounds and Marcus Johnson scoring eight points and picking up three steals.
UD's defense looked sharp early on not allowing a Xavier field goal until the 17:03 mark. But Xavier eventually found its groove and had a 26-22 lead with eight minutes left in the first half. The Flyers kept pace thanks to a cornucopia of baskets from players like Josh Benson, Marcus Johnson, Kurt Huelsman and Lowery.
Xavier kept themselves in the first half by going 18-of-19 at the free throw line in the first half and hitting four shots from beyond the arc.
Other contributors for Dayton included Benson who finished with eight points, Huelsman added five points and four blocks and Luke Fabrizius scoring six points.
The Musketeers have won the last 24 meetings played in Cincinnati. UD's last win at Xavier was Jan. 10, 1981.
Dayton returns home to face the George Washington Colonials on Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. ET.
