CINCINNATI (AP) Brian Thorton had 14 points and 12 rebounds to lead Xavier to a 69-58 win over Oakland in Sean Miller's first game as the Musketeers' coach.
Xavier (1-0) battled to a three-point halftime lead, 35-32, after a first half in which the score was tied six times.
The Musketeers opened the second half with a 10-4 run, taking a 45-36 lead with 14:51 to play. However, the Golden Grizzlies outscored Xavier 14-7 over the next five minutes to pull within 52-50.
Xavier's lone senior, Keith Jackson, scored all of his seven points - including his first career 3-pointer - during a 10-2 run that gave the home team a 65-52 lead with 2:24 left.
Rawle Marshall led Oakland (0-1) with 20 points and four steals, and Cortney Scott added 16.
The Musketeers lost the core of the team that made it to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament last season, including NBA draft picks Romain Sato and Lionel Chalmers. Coach Thad Matta left for Ohio State after his third straight 26-win season at Xavier.
Miller, his top assistant, got his first head coaching job and is trying to continue the winnning tradition with a young, inexperienced roster.
Junior point guard Dedrick Finn missed most of the team's preseason practices because of a disciplinary action and a strained knee. He returned to practice this week. Finn managed nine points on 2-of-5 shooting.
Sophomore forwards Justin Doellman and Justin Cage are the only other players with significant experience. Cage had 11 points, while Doellman scored eight.
