PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. - The NAIA #15 Yellow Jackets battled back from a 20-point deficit against Saint Xavier only to come up shy at the end, 86-83, at the Trinity Christian Classic.

It was the second time in three outings that Cedarville put itself in a deep hole before nearly pulling out a miracle finish. The undefeated Cougars, 4-0 and receiving votes in the NAIA Division I poll, enjoyed a 61-41 margin with 16:30 remaining. It was still 69-52 with 12:05 left when the Jackets started their comeback.

CU snuck within 83-75 at the 1:05 mark and then scored the next seven points to make it a one-point difference with nine seconds to go. Two free throws by SXU with six seconds left made it 85-82 and the Cougars alertly fouled the Yellow Jackets before they could get off a potential game-tying three-pointer.

Ricardo Alliman finished with 20 points and nine rebounds for Cedarville, 1-2 overall. Matt Harner tallied 17 points with eight boards while Derrick Hannon had 11 points and six assists. [STATS]