Crimson Wave advance past Saint Xavier in CCAC Tournament Opening Round

Chicago, IL – In the opening round of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament, the No. 6-seeded Calumet College of St. Joseph (16-12, 10-10 CCAC) men's basketball team took down No. 3-seeded Saint Xavier (19-10, 14-6 CCAC) 73-70 at the Shannon Center on Tuesday evening. CCSJ won its first postseason game since the 2016-17 season. The Crimson Wave were led by senior Hrvoje Majcunic and graduate student Scott Gowan, as each scored 15 points in the win.

How it Happened

To start the game, Scott Gowan was the first player to score a field goal from either team, getting a right-handed point-blank layup. Saint Xavier started off the game 0-of-4 from the field but scored back-to-back layups to take its first and only lead of the game at 5-3.

CCSJ would answer back with a 13-0 run to take a 16-5 advantage with 12 minutes left in the first half. The Crimson Wave earned their largest lead of 20 in the first half, after shooting 15-of-27 (55.6 percent) from the field.

Hrvoje Majcunic led all scorers in the first half with 10 points, while also adding three rebounds, three assists and two steals.

The Wave's defense led to this first half margin, holding the Cougars to 9-of-28 (32.1 percent) shooting from the field and 2-for-11 (18.1 percent) shooting from behind the arc. CCSJ also forced Saint Xavier to commit seven turnovers in the first half and their bench outscored the Cougars 11 to two.

Momentum was going all CCSJ's way in the first half until the final two minutes, when Saint Xavier scored the final 10 points to cut the lead back down to 10.

Coming out of halftime, Saint Xavier quickly cut the lead down to seven, but Majcunic nailed his third three-pointer of the game to help the Wave maintain their double-digit lead.

Moments later, the Cougars began to full court press the Wave, which lead to a 10-2 run and forced CCSJ to take its first timeout of the second half.

From that point forward, Saint Xavier kept the game in striking distance but CCSJ had a response every time they needed it. With only a two-point lead on multiple instances, Zion Morgan made timely shots and Gowan, Colby Wiggins and Jeanluc Wilson made timely free throws. As a team, the Wave made 18 free throws in the second half.

Saint Xavier had a chance to tie the game as time expired in regulation but the three-pointer was no good. CCSJ was able to hold off the Cougars and advance to the semifinal round of the CCAC tournament.

Crimson Wave Leaders

Hrvoje Majcunic had 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals while Scott Gowan had 15 points, four rebounds and two assists. Both Zion Morgan and Colby Wiggins each had 11 points and five rebounds.

Up Next 

The Wave will host Governors State in the CCAC Tournament Semifinals on Thursday, February 27 at the Rittenmeyer Center.