The University of Cincinnati men's basketball team had a slew of players on its roster who had never played in a Crosstown Shootout before Sunday.
Keith Williams and Chris Vogt weren't among them.
Despite being among the few with experience in the rivalry, the senior leaders struggled down the stretch, Vogt fouled out with 1:57 to play, and the Bearcats fell to their crosstown foe Xavier 77-69 at Fifth Third Arena.
"We gotta get better," Cincinnati coach John Brannen said. "Just as a whole, we gotta get better. And I knew that going into the game. Now, it kind of shed some light on some more areas that we need to improve upon."
The loss marked the first time UC (1-1) dropped back-to-back games against the Musketeers since losing three straight from 2013-15.
Next up: Cincinnati hosts Furman (4-0) on Wednesday (5 p.m. on ESPN+).
What we learned from Sunday's loss:
Cincinnati needs more from Vogt inside
Vogt scored eight points, six in the first half, and managed just a single rebound in 32 minutes of play.
"I mean, Chris is 7-1, 260 pounds. For him to have one rebound, that can't happen," Brannen said.
Vogt, as he will in most games this season, had a decisive size advantage against Xavier inside. Musketeers big man Zach Freemantle, who is 6-foot-9 and 225 pounds, got the better of Vogt for the second straight season. Freemantle finished with 16 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
As a freshman, Freemantle had nine points in 20 minutes off the bench in a 73-66 win last season.
Williams' margin of error is slim for Bearcats
Williams scored the game's first basket. In fact, he scored Cincinnati's first second points. It was a masterful start after the guard was forced to watch most of last week's season-opener after picking up three fouls in the first half.
But then Williams stumbled when the Bearcats needed him.
UC started the game 9-for-9 from the foul line. The Bearcats finished 10-for-15. Three of those misses were by Williams, including two with 33 seconds left and Cincinnati down 73-69.
"I missed two free throws at the line," he said. "I can't do that. It's just a learning experience right now. We just have to move on. This is Game 2 for us, we can't hang our heads."
Williams, who tested the NBA waters during the offseason, elected to return to UC for his senior season to win games like the one on Sunday.
"I came back to lead this team so everything is on me, defensively, offensively," he said. "I'll take this loss. I'll take this on the chin as a veteran."
Williams scored a team-high 18 points. He fell to 1-3 in his career against the Musketeers.
Addition of David DeJulius is already paying off for Brannen's Bearcats
Sunday showed why Brannen and his staff were so excited to land former Michigan guard David DeJulius this offseason via the transfer portal.
Handling most of the point guard duties for the Bearcats, DeJulius had 16 points, six assists and five rebounds and played a huge role on the defensive end and with keeping Cincinnati on pace offensively.
"It was so much fun. I'm so blessed and thankful to have the opportunity to play in this game," he said. "This past week, since we played our first game, I was just joyful to have the opportunity to be here. Not only from what I've been through in my first two college years, but also just being able to be a part of this rich rivalry."
DeJulius, who had zero turnovers for the second straight game, was in tears after the loss: "I just wanted this bad for my teammates."