CHICAGO, Ill. (December 1, 2025) — Chicago State (1-8, 0-0 NEC) secured its first victory of the season with an 85-62 triumph over Saint Xavier (4-7) on Monday afternoon at the Emil and Patricia Jones Convocation Center. The Cougars dominated the boards with 57 total rebounds, including 27 on the offensive end, while forcing 16 turnovers in front of a lively crowd of 3,707. The win also marked the first career victory at Chicago State for head coach
Landon Bussie.
Game Recap
The Cougars jumped out to an early lead, with
CJ Ray scoring a layup just 33 seconds into the contest.
Doyel Cockrill III provided a spark from beyond the arc, hitting two three-pointers in the opening minutes, including one assisted by
CJ Delancy at the 17:56 mark. Saint Xavier found some rhythm late in the half with perimeter shooting, but Chicago State's relentless rebounding and paint presence carried them to a 47-34 halftime advantage.
In the second half, Cockrill III continued his hot shooting, knocking down back-to-back threes at 17:28 and 16:59, both assisted by
Marcus Tankersley. Saint Xavier briefly cut into the lead with a three-pointer from Davion Lawrence, but Chicago State's second-chance scoring, led by Delancy, kept the Cougars firmly in control. CSU outscored Saint Xavier 38-28 in the final period to secure the 85-62 victory.
Individual Performances
- Doyel Cockrill III led all scorers with 21 points, connecting on five three-pointers.
- Marcus Tankersley added 19 points on an efficient 8-of-10 shooting performance.
- Dailliss Cox pulled down 11 rebounds and recorded two steals.
- CJ Ray contributed a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
- CJ Delancy anchored the paint with key offensive rebounds and second-chance points.
Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Landon Bussie: "The area that I liked is the offensive glass. We had 27 offensive rebounds, which is pretty good. But we need to do a better job of guarding defensively and keeping our men out of the paint. Now it's about preparation. We go to Illinois State this upcoming Saturday, and we just got to find a way to continue to get better."
Marcus Tankersley: "It felt good to break the ice and finally get one, you know. I could have played better — I missed three free throws and had a couple of turnovers — but we won. That's the most important thing. Just try to build off of it and win more games."
CJ Delancy: "It feels great. We've been working out a lot of things, getting to know each other very well. We still got some work to do to get in the gym. This is the first of a long season and plenty more to come. It's a blessing to get back with these guys and really get the feel of the game with the new team, and Coach Bussie's helping a lot with that — like a lot more than a lot of coaches would — and it's a blessing to have him too. It's the first of many."
Up Next
Chicago State will travel to Normal, Illinois, to face Illinois State University on Saturday, Dec. 6. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT at CEFCU Arena.
