CINCINNATI — In a thrilling matchup at the Skip Prosser Classic, Ryan Conwell emerged as a key player for Xavier, amassing 21 points, with 16 coming in a powerful second half. His performance included four successful three-pointers, guiding Xavier to a solid 75-60 victory over Wake Forest on Saturday.

This game marked Conwell’s 15th career outing where he scored over 20 points. Although he had a shooting percentage of 35% from the field, with 5 of 14 shots made, the Musketeers as a team neatly converted 40% of their attempts, including ten shots from beyond the arc out of a total of 23 field goals.

Zach Freemantle played a vital role as well, contributing 11 points, including six points during a significant 10-0 run that propelled Xavier to a double-digit advantage just ten minutes into the contest. Meanwhile, Wake Forest struggled offensively early on, hitting only three of their first 13 attempts.

Despite a slow finish to the first half, where Xavier managed just two baskets in the last four minutes, they still led by 10 points at halftime, with a score of 34-24. The second half began with Wake Forest attempting to close the gap, scoring the first five points to bring the score to 34-29, but this marked their nearest approach to taking the lead. With 7:05 left on the clock, Conwell secured a double-digit lead for Xavier by sinking two free throws, solidifying their advantage for the remainder of the game.

In addition to Conwell’s standout performance, Dayvion McKnight contributed 13 points, while Freemantle added 11, helping Xavier maintain their undefeated status at 4-0. The Musketeers also excelled at the free-throw line, converting 19 of 22 attempts, in contrast to Wake Forest’s success rate of 11 free throws made.

For the Demon Deacons, Hunter Sallis led the scoring with 16 points, while Davin Cosby contributed 13 points to their efforts.

In the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll, Wake Forest is currently positioned third among “others receiving votes,” while Xavier ranks fourth.

Looking ahead, Xavier will wrap up a five-game homestand with a match against Siena on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Wake Forest is set to return to their home court to face Western Carolina on Tuesday.