The game was not a total disaster for Mobile, as the Rams' NAIA Top-25 ranking of #16 ensures Mobile will make a return trip to the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City. The inclusion in the prestigious field will be the 4th in the last 5 years for Mobile and 9th overall.
Back to the game: The game began as the Mark Stewart show and that's how it finished. Stewart's prop of choice was the three-pointer, as he broke a 19-year old school record with 8 long balls in the game. That number doesn't count when he knocked down 3 freebies after getting fouled on a 3-point attempt.
In that game-making opening half, the Rams led 17-15 with 6:59 remaining on a driving layup from Donte Walker. Over the next 4:51, the Gold Rush went on a 16-0 run to take a 31-17 lead when Stewart converted a rare 4-point play. Xavier went into the break with a 33-21 edge.
In the second half, the Rams upped their field goal percentage to 52%, but the Gold Rush shot the same and only turned the ball over 4 times as they held on.
Xavier led 50-37 with over 12 minutes to play, but three pointers from Tim Malone and Walter Fitzgerald sparked a 14-8 run to pull within 7 with 7:07 left to play. From there, the Rams trimmed it to a 5-point game with over 2 minutes left, but Stewart sank a pair of free throws and dropped in another 3 to ice the game.
Robert Jones finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Rams, while Walter Fitzgerald chipped in 15 points.
Mobile finishes 22-9 and will await their seeding at the National Tournament. Xavier moves to 24-8 on the season.
