Xavier came into the night with their highest ever preseason ranking and a streak of 26 straight season opening victories behind them. However, with 12:14 remaining in the game, they were looking at their first deficit of the night against a Lehigh team that excelled at rallying after Xavier tired to put them away. In the end, X had too much Bluiett and Sumner for the Mountain Hawks and outlasted them to send the Cintas faithful home relieved if not a bit more stressed than they anticipated being.
Things got off to a very promising start for Xavier as Edmond Sumner sparked the offense early, racking up 11 points and an assist as X grabbed the lead by a score of 20-11 by the under-12 media timeout.