CHICAGO, Ill. - A late first-half rally allowed the host St. Xavier Cougars to take a double-digit lead at the half, enough to hold off any comeback attempts from Trinity International, as the Trojans fell on the road Wednesday night, 90-81 in CCAC play.

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Eight lead changes occurred in the first 12 minutes of play, with neither side controlling more than a four-point advantage, but a quick 10-0 run from the Cougars (14-8, 11-3 CCAC) saw TIU go behind 34-26 with 7:22 remaining in the first half. St. Xavier would go up by as much as 15 points before the break, when a layup from Stanley Moore at the 3:25 mark made it a 49-34 score.

The Trojans (13-10, 6-8 CCAC) committed 19 turnovers on the night, their highest total in their last 14 games stretching back to late November, including 12 in the first half.

"We weren't ready to play at the level we needed to beat St. Xavier on the road, and that starts at the top with me," said TIU head coach Boomer Roberts after the game. "We just didn't have it again as a group, so we need to figure out how to solve that issue."

The Trojans responded with the last five points of the half, punctuated with a Henry French slam on their last possession, to cut the gap to 53-43 at the break. Zach Kirschbaum paced the Trojans with nine points and five boards in the first half.

French opened the second half the same way he finished the first, with another dunk off of a Thomas Amrine steal. Grant Corsi knocked down a pair of free throws to cap a 9-0 run for the Trojans spanning both halves, and trimming the SXU lead further, to 53-47.

Trinity would pull to within five points, after Sean Smith knocked down a three at the 15:50 mark to make it a 55-50 edge for the home team. The Cougars responded with two straight treys of their own and suddenly St. Xavier claimed a 61-50 lead with 14:56 to play, and the Trojans were unable to mount another run and pull even.

Corsi led TIU with 17 points on the night, going 6-for-11 from the field. Zach Kirschbaum recorded his CCAC-leading 10th double-double of the season, tallying 16 points and 10 rebounds. French and James Glass each posted 11 points, while Amrine finished with ten.

"There is great belief in our locker room, and we will lean on it and use out love for each other to get back competing at a higher level," said Roberts. "There is not a doubt in my mind that we'll be ready on Saturday."

The Trojans return to Van Dixhorn Arena this weekend, as they host Indiana-South Bend on Saturday. The 7:00 p.m. tipoff will be part of the TIU Whiteout Night, where the first 700 fans in the door will receive a free TIU Whiteout t-shirt.