Freemantle scores 17, McKnight 14 as No. 22 Xavier holds on to beat SC State

Zach Freemantle scored 17 points, Dayvion McKnight scored 13 of his 14 in the second half and Trey Green made 4 of 4 from the free-throw line in the final 12 seconds to help No. 22 Xavier hold on for a 71-68 win over South Carolina State on Sunday night. Xavier (7-1) opened the season with six consecutive wins before a 78-53 loss to Michigan on Thursday in the championship game at the Fort Myers Tip-Off. Xavier used a 14-2 run to take its biggest lead of the game at 58-45 when Jerome Hunter, who finished with 10 points, made a layup with 5:38 remaining.