CINCINNATI, Ohio — Mount St. Mary’s University men’s basketball opened the 2026-27 season with a 97-52 loss to Xavier on Nov. 2 at the Cintas Center. Abdou Khadre Kebe led Mount St. Mary’s with 13 points, six rebounds and two steals.
Xavier took control early, building a 29-3 advantage midway through the first half. The Musketeers carried a 51-16 lead into halftime after Mount St. Mary’s shot 5-of-30 from the field during the opening 20 minutes.
Abdou Khadre Kebe Leads Mount St. Mary’s
Wilguens Junior Exacte added 12 points, a team-high seven rebounds and three assists for Mount St. Mary’s. Cade Orness scored eight points, while Anthony Arrington Jr. contributed seven.
Mount St. Mary’s made just 3-of-26 attempts from three-point range. Xavier shot 50.0 percent from the field and held a 56-33 rebounding advantage.
Chance Westry led Xavier with 17 points, and Jovan Milicevic scored 14. Xavier maintained its 35-point halftime lead and outscored Mount St. Mary’s 46-36 in the second half to complete the victory.
Series and Season Notes
The game was the second all-time meeting between Mount St. Mary’s and Xavier. Xavier won the first matchup 103-96 on Nov. 24, 1990, at Cincinnati Gardens.
Mount St. Mary’s fell to 0-26 all time against Big East opponents, including 0-24 on the road. Noah Limol, Julien Smith, Crue Gard and Ryan Brzezanski made their collegiate debuts.
Mount St. Mary’s Hosts Loyola Next
Mount St. Mary’s will host Loyola in its next game. The matchup is scheduled as the 182nd all-time meeting between the teams.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
Mount St. Mary’s faced a significant early deficit after Xavier opened the game with a 29-3 run. Kebe led the Mount in scoring, while Exacte provided a team-high seven rebounds and three assists.
The season opener also marked the collegiate debuts of Limol, Smith, Gard and Brzezanski. Mount St. Mary’s returns home to face Loyola in its next scheduled game.
Source: Original report
