Xavier squanders 20-point lead, ekes out win over Marist

(Photo credit: Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Xavier overcame a cold shooting start and blowing a 20-point second-half lead to hold on for a 66-62 win over Marist on Monday in Cincinnati in the season opener for both teams.

Malik Messina-Moore paced the new-look Musketeers with 16 points and started a pair of runs that wiped out an early seven-point deficit. His jumper wit