{
  "id": 12742058,
  "title": "Old, new faces lead Xavier to outdoor exhibition win over Dayton",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/old-new-faces-lead-xavier-to-outdoor-exhibition-win-over-dayton",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-08T00:12:58.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/old-faces-lead-xavier-outdoor-001258895.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Mason, Ohio witnessed Xavier men's basketball claim victory in an outdoor exhibition game against Dayton on October 7, securing an 82-75 win at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in the CareSource Invitational. This triumph follows a preseason loss to Murray State last season, and head coach Richard Pitino is keen to avoid overreacting to positive results. Despite not counting towards their record, the Musketeers' win could serve as a confidence booster before the regular season begins in less than a month. Notable performances came from veteran center Mike Nwoko, who tallied 19 points and 11 rebounds, and team captain Jovan Milicevic, who contributed 13 points. Sharpshooter Ruben Dominguez contributed 15 points, while Tru Washington added 14. Freshman Gabriel Pozzato made his Xavier debut and recorded five points and two steals. Nwoko and Chance Westry, the other starter, managed to play double-digit minutes due to an exhibition contest rule that allowed a player to foul out. The Musketeers displayed their depth by utilizing 11 different players, with eight players recording double-digit minutes. Despite Dayton's comeback effort, Xavier never trailed in the game.",
  "summary": "Richard Pitino believes this year's Xavier team is the deepest he's had. It looked that way in the Musketeers' exhibition win over Dayton.",
  "key_points": [
    "Xavier defeats Dayton 82-75 in outdoor exhibition game",
    "Mike Nwoko leads with 19 points and 11 rebounds",
    "Freshman Gabriel Pozzato makes Xavier debut"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The win, led by strong performances from veteran and freshman players, provides a confidence boost to Xavier before the regular season, showcasing the team's depth and ability to avoid trailing.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}