CINCINNATI, Ohio | Jackson State fell to Xavier 94-57 at the Cintas Center on Tuesday night in non-conference action despite a second consecutive double-figure night from Jayme Mitchell Jr.

Mitchell led Jackson State (0-3) with a career-high 26 points for the Tigers, and Romelle Mansel added nine points and seven rebounds in the loss. Jackson State finished the night shooting 28.8 (19-of-66) percent from the floor and 25.0 (5-of-20) percent from beyond the arc. They also finished the night shooting 70.0 (14-of-20) percent from the free throw line.

Zach Freemantle led six players in double figures for Xavier (3-0) with 21 points on the night, connecting on 8-of-11 shots from the floor. Meanwhile, Dailyn Swain finished with a double-double (10 points/10 rebounds) for Xavier who finished the night shooting 54.1 (33-of-61) percent from the floor and 51.6 (16-of-31) percent from beyond the arc. They also finished the night shooting 80.0 (12-of-15) percent from the free throw line.

How It Happened (Inside the Numbers)
Xavier held Jackson State without a field goal for nearly four minutes before Mansel connected on a lay-up with 16:10 remaining in the first half ending an 11-0 run to start the game. The Tigers were able to outscore Xavier 5-4 between the first and second media timeouts in the first half to trim the deficit to 18-7 with 11:31 remaining in the first half, using a steal and dunk from Jalen Tatum during the run.

Jackson State was held to 22.2 (4-of-18) percent shooting through the first 11-plus minutes of the game, while Xavier was hitting on 50.0 (9-of-18) percent of its shots to take a 24-9 lead with 8:22 remaining in the first half. The Tigers held Xavier scoreless for 2:55 to get to within 13 with just over four minutes left before back-to-back basics pushed the lead to 37-20 with 3:06 to play in the opening half.

The first half was a half of numbers as Xavier connected on seven three-pointers to jump to a double-digit lead, shooting 50.0 (15-of-30) percent from the floor and 43.8 (7-of-16) percent from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Jackson State struggled from the floor shooting 32.4 (11-of-34) percent from the floor including 25.0 (2-of-8) percent from beyond the arc. 

Mitchell ended a 9-0 run from Xavier to start the second half with a three-pointer with 17:17 remaining in the game, trimming the deficit to 49-28. The Musketeers continued to stay hot in the second half extending the lead to 62-37 with 10:23 to play shooting 69.2 (9-of-13) percent from the floor.

Game Notes
Jackson State started its third different lineup to start the 2024-25 season going Dorian McMillian (guard), Mitchell (forward), Shannon Grant (center), Mansel (forward), and Marcus Watson Jr. (guard).

The meeting was the first ever between the two schools and is the only game that the Tigers will play against a member of the Big East this season. It also marks the only trip to the state of Ohio this year.

The first three opponents for Jackson State this season combined to finish 75-32 last season. The game is the second in four days for the Tigers and the third consecutive on the road to open the season. The game also aired on FS1, which is the only time Jackson State will appear on the network after playing the first two games on ESPN+.

Watson finished with a season-high five assists in the loss, while four different players recorded five or more rebounds on the night for Jackson State,

Up Next
Jackson State continues its road trip on Saturday traveling to Nashville (Tenn.) to face Vanderbilt, the first of four games in seven days in Tennessee and Kentucky next week.

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