In the battle of defense vs. offense, defense took a resounding victory on Saturday, as the Cincinnati Bearcats toppled the Xavier Musketeers 62-47 during the 86th Crosstown Shootout at Fifth Third Arena.
The long-time rivals play very different forms of basketball, with the Bearcats (9-1) favoring a brutally crushing defensive approach while Xavier (6-4) leans on efficient offense. The Bearcats’ style won out Saturday, as they held the Musketeers to 35.3 shooting, including a 5-of-25 showing from beyond the arc. UC (9-1) did the bulk of its damage in the first half when Xavier couldn’t even find the basket, making only 28.