MOBILE, Ala-- The University of Mobile men's basketball team fell 53-57 to visiting 11th-ranked Xavier University in non-conference action Monday evening.
Mobile (11-9, 5-7) hosts Spring Hill Thursday at 7:30 pm.
Chris Richardson led the Rams with 13 points and 4 assists, while Julien Sargent added 12 points and 8 boards off the bench.
Wanto Joseph led a trio of Xavier players in double figures with 17.
Xavier out shot Mobile 44% to 34% from the floor, while Mobile finished with a 71% to 63% edge from the charity stripe.
The Rams turned the ball over 16 times, compared to 13 for the Gold Rush, and Mobile won the rebounding battle 36-30.
Xavier led the first half until a DeVondre Peoples free throw gave the Rams a 10-9 lead with 7:30 to play. With the Rams leading 14-12 with 4:40 to play, Xavier scored the next eight points before taking a 20-18 lead into the break.
The Gold Rush maintained that lead into the second half until a pair of Cody Scott free throws, followed by a Brandon Morris bucket made it 38-35 Mobile. But, Xavier answered right back by scoring the next eight points, started by six straight points from Anthony Simmons. The Gold Rush held a 46-41 lead with 3:34 to play, but four points from Richardson brought the Rams within one. After Joseph answered with a pair of free throws, Calloway brought the Rams within a point and Richardson put Mobile ahead with a long two-pointer to make it 49-48 with 42 ticks remaining. With 15 seconds left, Simmons went to the line and hit 1-of-2 to send it to overtime.
Sargent scored first in overtime to put Mobile ahead 51-49, but the Rams went 1-for-6 the rest of the way with only two points scored, as the Gold Rush finished the period on an 8-2 run.
