CINCINNATI —

The Xavier Musketeers took their first loss of the 2025-26 season Monday night, losing at home to the Santa Clara Broncos, 87-68.

A West Coast Conference team who beat perennial power Gonzaga last season, Santa Clara was a dangerous opponent for Richard Pitino’s Xavier team, shooting 54 percent from the field. Advertisement

Elijah Mahi led Santa Clara with 18 points, Christian Hammond scored 15 points and Allen Graves scored 10 points with 11 rebounds off the bench.

Roddie Anderson III (29 points) and Tre Carroll (21 points) combined to score 50 of Xavier’s 68 points. Leading scorer Malik Messina-Moore was held scoreless.

The Broncos shot over 46 percent from the field in the first half and held Xavier without a first half three as they raced out to a 39-20 advantage at

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