kyxu
02-14-2008, 12:09 AM
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#12 Muskies survive Goldwire, turnover storm in Charlotte, 62-60
By kyxu
The one complaint during the Musketeers’ leaner times this season, as sparse as they were, was its propensity to pack it in for the evening when things got intense on the road (see Miami, Arizona State and Temple), either when close games became blowouts for the home team, or Xavier would simply let a lead slip away.
As evidenced by their third consecutive stomach-churning victory, it appears the 12th-ranked Musketeers have grown into a mature team, capable of winning in a hostile environment without their best performance. And with March rapidly approaching, that’s great news for Xavier.
This game didn’t necessarily possess the same balanced attack as Xavier’s last four games with at least four players scoring in double-figures. But the leadership of a particularly embattled senior, Josh Duncan, was the answer for such an uncharacteristically difficult game for Xavier’s veteran backcourt. Duncan tied a career-high with 25 points to go with eight rebounds, and was responsible for arguably the biggest sequence of the game.
With the game tied at 58 and 1:30 to go, Duncan’s charge would nullify a Leemire Goldwire (31 pts, 8 reb) lay-in that would have given Charlotte the late lead. CJ Anderson (3 pts, 6 reb) broke the tie by hitting one of two free throws to give Xavier the lead with just over one minute remaining. After a Charlotte miss and a Drew Lavender rebound, Duncan stepped up again to seemingly ice the game with a three-pointer, giving the Musketeers the lead, 62-58, with just 16 seconds to go. A Goldwire jumper cut Charlotte’s deficit to two, but his desperation toss from half-court as time expired missed everything, giving Xavier its seventh-straight win.
Xavier spent most of the first half playing catch-up with the Charlotte 49ers (14-9, 5-4), and didn’t take their first lead of the game until a Derrick Brown (11 pts, 8 reb) three gave the Musketeers a one-point lead, 22-21, with just under seven minutes left in the first half. Goldwire responded with his fourth three of the half to put the 49ers back on top.
Xavier trailed at the half, 32-31, but would reclaim the lead, 39-37, off a Duncan jam, with just over 17 minutes left. The teams remained close throughout the second half, with neither holding more than a 3-point lead, until Xavier took a 55-50 advantage off a pair of Danté Jackson (3 pts) free throws. Stanley Burrell’s (9 pts) pair of freebies extended the lead to 57-50 with 5:20 left, but a 6-0 Charlotte run cut the 49ers’ deficit to one with just over three minutes left in the game. An Anderson free throw gave Xavier the lead for good, 69-68, with barely over a minute left after a pair of Charles Dewhurst (6 pts) free throws tied the game.
Burrell was once again assigned the task of guarding the opposition’s leading scorer, but was hindered on defense by early foul trouble. Despite this and an illness that limited his practice time the past few days, Burrell did a serviceable job on Goldwire, effectively holding him scoreless when guarding him. But as good as Goldwire was tonight, he would not be denied, scoring more than half of his team’s points while going 9-for-19 to the rest of his team’s 9-for-38.
Xavier played far from their best game of the season, shooting under 40% for the first time since their loss at Temple in mid-January. The senior floor general Lavender went scoreless for the first time all season, dishing out six assists to seven turnovers. Lavender was also battling a nagging thumb injury, as well as a rolled ankle sustained in the first half. He still played the rest of the game, though visibly hampered.
The win maintains Xavier’s (21-4, 9-1) inside track to the A-10 regular season title, giving them a 4-1 record on the road in the conference. Even more impressive, Xavier won despite a combined nine points from the senior backcourt and a total of 22 turnovers. The win also marked the first time this season Xavier has won when trailing at the half.
Xavier remains on the road for another tough match-up against the third-place Rhode Island Rams (20-5, 6-4). The Rams currently stand at 12-0 at home on the season, but are coming off a heartbreaking overtime loss at Temple, 92-89, on Wednesday evening.
#12 Muskies survive Goldwire, turnover storm in Charlotte, 62-60
By kyxu
The one complaint during the Musketeers’ leaner times this season, as sparse as they were, was its propensity to pack it in for the evening when things got intense on the road (see Miami, Arizona State and Temple), either when close games became blowouts for the home team, or Xavier would simply let a lead slip away.
As evidenced by their third consecutive stomach-churning victory, it appears the 12th-ranked Musketeers have grown into a mature team, capable of winning in a hostile environment without their best performance. And with March rapidly approaching, that’s great news for Xavier.
This game didn’t necessarily possess the same balanced attack as Xavier’s last four games with at least four players scoring in double-figures. But the leadership of a particularly embattled senior, Josh Duncan, was the answer for such an uncharacteristically difficult game for Xavier’s veteran backcourt. Duncan tied a career-high with 25 points to go with eight rebounds, and was responsible for arguably the biggest sequence of the game.
With the game tied at 58 and 1:30 to go, Duncan’s charge would nullify a Leemire Goldwire (31 pts, 8 reb) lay-in that would have given Charlotte the late lead. CJ Anderson (3 pts, 6 reb) broke the tie by hitting one of two free throws to give Xavier the lead with just over one minute remaining. After a Charlotte miss and a Drew Lavender rebound, Duncan stepped up again to seemingly ice the game with a three-pointer, giving the Musketeers the lead, 62-58, with just 16 seconds to go. A Goldwire jumper cut Charlotte’s deficit to two, but his desperation toss from half-court as time expired missed everything, giving Xavier its seventh-straight win.
Xavier spent most of the first half playing catch-up with the Charlotte 49ers (14-9, 5-4), and didn’t take their first lead of the game until a Derrick Brown (11 pts, 8 reb) three gave the Musketeers a one-point lead, 22-21, with just under seven minutes left in the first half. Goldwire responded with his fourth three of the half to put the 49ers back on top.
Xavier trailed at the half, 32-31, but would reclaim the lead, 39-37, off a Duncan jam, with just over 17 minutes left. The teams remained close throughout the second half, with neither holding more than a 3-point lead, until Xavier took a 55-50 advantage off a pair of Danté Jackson (3 pts) free throws. Stanley Burrell’s (9 pts) pair of freebies extended the lead to 57-50 with 5:20 left, but a 6-0 Charlotte run cut the 49ers’ deficit to one with just over three minutes left in the game. An Anderson free throw gave Xavier the lead for good, 69-68, with barely over a minute left after a pair of Charles Dewhurst (6 pts) free throws tied the game.
Burrell was once again assigned the task of guarding the opposition’s leading scorer, but was hindered on defense by early foul trouble. Despite this and an illness that limited his practice time the past few days, Burrell did a serviceable job on Goldwire, effectively holding him scoreless when guarding him. But as good as Goldwire was tonight, he would not be denied, scoring more than half of his team’s points while going 9-for-19 to the rest of his team’s 9-for-38.
Xavier played far from their best game of the season, shooting under 40% for the first time since their loss at Temple in mid-January. The senior floor general Lavender went scoreless for the first time all season, dishing out six assists to seven turnovers. Lavender was also battling a nagging thumb injury, as well as a rolled ankle sustained in the first half. He still played the rest of the game, though visibly hampered.
The win maintains Xavier’s (21-4, 9-1) inside track to the A-10 regular season title, giving them a 4-1 record on the road in the conference. Even more impressive, Xavier won despite a combined nine points from the senior backcourt and a total of 22 turnovers. The win also marked the first time this season Xavier has won when trailing at the half.
Xavier remains on the road for another tough match-up against the third-place Rhode Island Rams (20-5, 6-4). The Rams currently stand at 12-0 at home on the season, but are coming off a heartbreaking overtime loss at Temple, 92-89, on Wednesday evening.