No. 14 Xavier 87, S. Illinois 77

Tu Holloway scored 21 points and No. 14 Xavier ended a three-game losing streak with an 87-77 victory over Southern Illinois on Sunday in the seventh-place game of the Diamond Head Classic. Before a sparse, morning crowd on Christmas Day, the Musketeers won for the first time since Dec. 10, when they beat Cincinnati in a game cut short in the closing seconds by brawling and mayhem on the court. This was the first three-game losing streak for Xavier under coach Chris Mack and first since the 2007-08 season. Mark Lyons scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Musketeers (9-3). Andre Walker and Travis Taylor added 13 apiece for Xavier, which made 36 of 48 free throws. The Salukis (3-8) were led by Dantiel Daniels' 22 points. Southern Illinois cut it to 68-64 at 8:45 after a 3-point play by Daniels, but an 8-1 run gave the Musketers a 9-point cushion.