Over its three-game non-conference losing streak, Xavier struggled with setting the tone early at Cintas Center. In the Crosstown Shootout Dec. 9, a rivalry with an abundance of built-up, off-court tension, Xavier had to bring the energy from the opening tip.

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Early in the first half, Abou Ousmane delivered when he was tied up with UC 7-footer Aziz Bandaogo. Despite multiple whistles, Ousmane refused to let go, ultimately gaining control of the ball in front of a frenzied Xavier student section.

"Stuff like that just happens. I tugged that elbow, and, in my head, I just made it up, 'yeah, I'm getting this basketball,'" Ousmane said.

The possession arrow favored the Musketeers and led to a Desmond Claude bucket that gave Xavier a lead they would keep for the next 21-plus minutes en route to an 84-79 win. The extra passion was needed, according to Ousmane, injecting life into a sold-out crowd and a team desperate to snap a losing streak.

"We have to beat them; this is what we do. You don't want to be known as the team that breaks the streak," Ousmane said. "I think everybody took a position that we're not gonna back down and we're not gonna lose."

Ousmane came off bench for the first time in 3 seasons

Ousmane's role as an enforcer during the biggest game on the schedule came after a troublesome start to his Musketeer career.

Through the first four games, Ousmane was struggling to stay on the court. The 6-foot-10 forward fouled out in Xavier's losses at Purdue and vs. Washington in Las Vegas, combining for 9 points and 5 rebounds over 19 minutes. Sean Miller pulled Ousmane from the starting lineup ahead of Xavier's win over Saint Mary's in the Continental Tire Main Event, marking the first time he'd come off the bench since his freshman year at North Texas in 2021. Miller called the frontcourt a "concern."

"It was more of a reset for me," Ousmane said. "Seeing the games in the beginning, the first four minutes, trying to save myself from foul trouble. That was the biggest point for me, staying in the game without fouling. It really helped me."

Trying to do too much? It's possible. After losing Zach Freemantle and Jerome Hunter for the year, Ousmane was tasked with leading the frontcourt that included three international players and a slew of freshmen.

"Being too aggressive and playing silly at times," Ousmane said. "The competitive spirit in me not trying to give up a basket. Now that we're a couple games in and I see the effect I have. I've got to stay on the floor."

In four games off the bench, Ousmane played his way back into the starting lineup with a combined 34 points on 14-of-26 shooting and 18 rebounds. Most importantly, he didn't foul out.

"Putting your ego to the side and just knowing it is what's best for the team," Ousmane said. "I had that positive mindset to do what I had to do when I got into the game and produce as much as I can."

Ousmane returned to starting lineup, role as a leader

Ousmane posted 7 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks in his return to the starting lineup, but it came in a loss to Delaware. Miller called it 'the moment of truth' for Xavier's season.

Ousmane was one of the key cogs to the pre-Shootout players-only meeting in the Xavier locker room.

"We needed to meet as a team. The four leaders (Ousmane, Desmond Claude, Quincy Olivari and Dayvion McKnight) decided to have a group discussion where everybody can let loose and show their emotions," Ousmane said. "I feel like it helped us tremendously."

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The results speak for themselves. Xavier has won two straight since that leadership quartet called for the meeting. It's a role Ousmane envisioned when he got to Xavier as one of the oldest and most-experienced collegiate players on the new-look roster.

"I'm glad that coach Sean (Miller) was able to put that on me," Ousmane said. "It's amazing he sees me as a leader."

Ousmane had his first double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) as a Musketeers against UC. On Saturday, he led arguably Xavier's best defensive effort of the season against Winthrop with 9 rebounds and 4 blocks to go with 7 points.

"He (Ousmane) had 19 rebounds in the last two games. We'll take that," Miller said after beating Winthrop.

Ousmane heads home

Ten miles west of Queens, New York, Ousmane grew up in Brooklyn, where the basketball scene helped transform him into a Division I big man. It's where he returned after his freshman season at North Texas and videotaped his workouts on public basketball courts to shed 30 pounds during a pandemic leading to two dominant stellar seasons in Conference USA.

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He'll have a large contingent of family and friends at Carnesecca Arena on Wednesday, when Xavier opens Big East play against St. John's.

"I'm excited. It's the first game in the conference so there's even more excitement for me," Ousmane said. "Everybody knows about the Big East. You gotta come ready to play and that's why we all came here."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 'It really helped me.' How a benching changed Xavier's Abou Ousmane