kyxu
11-17-2008, 10:18 PM
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj89/xhoops/df76281f-bb20-4b47-9697-3c7f2f13-1.jpg Muskies grow a little, hold off Rockets, 81-65
by Mike Damone
How apropos that on the night Xavier head coach Sean Miller celebrated his 40th birthday, his Xavier Musketeers (2-0) would repeat their “growing up” mantra. Though Xavier’s intrepid leader is going to have to accept that such development will not be without some growing pains, Miller’s been around long enough to know that taking the good with the bad is all part of the process. As he inches closer to his 100th victory as Xavier’s head coach in just four seasons, Miller’s Musketeers gift-wrapped his 95th by beating the Toledo Rockets, 81-65.
For the good – Xavier can rebound the basketball, as they out-rebounded the Rockets, 36-17. Bad – the Musketeers continue to turn the ball over, as they gave the ball back to Toledo 19 separate occasions. Good – Xavier continues to play solid team defense, holding the Rockets to just 39.3 percent shooting, after holding IPFW to just 25 percent the previous game. Bad – Xavier’s inexperienced backcourt defenders had worlds of trouble guarding Toledo’s Tyrone Kent, who dropped in a game-high 37 on the Musketeers, and seemed to let up considerably as the game wound down.
Good – Xavier is now 2-0. Bad – Xavier’s point-guards-by-committee sophomore Dante Jackson and freshman Terrell Holloway have combined for just six assists in two games – all coming from Jackson. Good – just one turnover between the two Monday night. But what the Musketeers put forth Monday night exemplified a shared effort of blame and triumph, with distributed scoring and miscues abounding. And despite the Musketeers’ renewed strength in the frontcourt, the few times Xavier guards unloaded from deep, they typically connected, going 6-for-11 from three, highlighted by senior BJ Raymond’s (18 pts, 3 reb) perfect 4-for-4.
Most importantly, Xavier grew up in some areas. Despite coughing up the basketball 12 times in the first 12 minutes, the Musketeers seemed to mature, only committing seven the rest of the way. Raymond hit all but one shot, senior Derrick Brown added 14 points and eight rebounds, and Jackson scored a career-high 14 points to go along with four assists and three boards, as the Musketeers kept the Rockets at distance for most of the second half after building a sizable halftime lead.
Toledo’s Kent made it interesting, cutting the Xavier lead to just 13, 60-47, when he made a three and was fouled by Raymond. But Xavier answered right back with a 10-0 run, capped by a Holloway (9 pts, 3 reb) lay-up and a pair of free throws from junior Jason Love (8 pts, 6 reb). With just under four minutes left in the game, Kent knocked down triples on three consecutive Toledo possessions, in scoring 14 points in the game’s final moments, but it was too late as Xavier was able to seal the game from the line. Jonathan Amos also added 10 points for the Rockets.
The Musketeers had built an early 12-4 lead, before an 11-3 Rocket run tied the score at 15 off a Justin Anyijong (8 pts, 5 reb) lay-up with 7:45 left in the first half. But a pair of dunks from Xavier sophomore Jamel McLean (9 pts, 3 reb) keyed a 21-4 Xavier run, that saw six Musketeers score, en route to a 36-19 halftime lead.
Despite combining for just nine points in Xavier’s opening win against IPFW, Raymond and Brown went off for a combined 32 points, in leading the Xavier charge. CJ Anderson did not have quite the out-put he did Friday night, but he was still able to chip in six points and five rebounds, as well as tying Jackson for a game-high of four assists. Make no mistake, Miller’s teams continue to feature a new star seemingly each game, which is perhaps a testament to the team’s strong emphasis on unselfishness and team defense. Miller is proving that despite the shaky amalgam of youth and experience, the true mission of the Xavier team remains.
The Musketeers now travel to Puerto Rico for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off to take on the Missouri Tigers (2-0) at 1 p.m. on Thursday. The Tigers are coming off a 103-75 victory over Chattanooga.
by Mike Damone
How apropos that on the night Xavier head coach Sean Miller celebrated his 40th birthday, his Xavier Musketeers (2-0) would repeat their “growing up” mantra. Though Xavier’s intrepid leader is going to have to accept that such development will not be without some growing pains, Miller’s been around long enough to know that taking the good with the bad is all part of the process. As he inches closer to his 100th victory as Xavier’s head coach in just four seasons, Miller’s Musketeers gift-wrapped his 95th by beating the Toledo Rockets, 81-65.
For the good – Xavier can rebound the basketball, as they out-rebounded the Rockets, 36-17. Bad – the Musketeers continue to turn the ball over, as they gave the ball back to Toledo 19 separate occasions. Good – Xavier continues to play solid team defense, holding the Rockets to just 39.3 percent shooting, after holding IPFW to just 25 percent the previous game. Bad – Xavier’s inexperienced backcourt defenders had worlds of trouble guarding Toledo’s Tyrone Kent, who dropped in a game-high 37 on the Musketeers, and seemed to let up considerably as the game wound down.
Good – Xavier is now 2-0. Bad – Xavier’s point-guards-by-committee sophomore Dante Jackson and freshman Terrell Holloway have combined for just six assists in two games – all coming from Jackson. Good – just one turnover between the two Monday night. But what the Musketeers put forth Monday night exemplified a shared effort of blame and triumph, with distributed scoring and miscues abounding. And despite the Musketeers’ renewed strength in the frontcourt, the few times Xavier guards unloaded from deep, they typically connected, going 6-for-11 from three, highlighted by senior BJ Raymond’s (18 pts, 3 reb) perfect 4-for-4.
Most importantly, Xavier grew up in some areas. Despite coughing up the basketball 12 times in the first 12 minutes, the Musketeers seemed to mature, only committing seven the rest of the way. Raymond hit all but one shot, senior Derrick Brown added 14 points and eight rebounds, and Jackson scored a career-high 14 points to go along with four assists and three boards, as the Musketeers kept the Rockets at distance for most of the second half after building a sizable halftime lead.
Toledo’s Kent made it interesting, cutting the Xavier lead to just 13, 60-47, when he made a three and was fouled by Raymond. But Xavier answered right back with a 10-0 run, capped by a Holloway (9 pts, 3 reb) lay-up and a pair of free throws from junior Jason Love (8 pts, 6 reb). With just under four minutes left in the game, Kent knocked down triples on three consecutive Toledo possessions, in scoring 14 points in the game’s final moments, but it was too late as Xavier was able to seal the game from the line. Jonathan Amos also added 10 points for the Rockets.
The Musketeers had built an early 12-4 lead, before an 11-3 Rocket run tied the score at 15 off a Justin Anyijong (8 pts, 5 reb) lay-up with 7:45 left in the first half. But a pair of dunks from Xavier sophomore Jamel McLean (9 pts, 3 reb) keyed a 21-4 Xavier run, that saw six Musketeers score, en route to a 36-19 halftime lead.
Despite combining for just nine points in Xavier’s opening win against IPFW, Raymond and Brown went off for a combined 32 points, in leading the Xavier charge. CJ Anderson did not have quite the out-put he did Friday night, but he was still able to chip in six points and five rebounds, as well as tying Jackson for a game-high of four assists. Make no mistake, Miller’s teams continue to feature a new star seemingly each game, which is perhaps a testament to the team’s strong emphasis on unselfishness and team defense. Miller is proving that despite the shaky amalgam of youth and experience, the true mission of the Xavier team remains.
The Musketeers now travel to Puerto Rico for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off to take on the Missouri Tigers (2-0) at 1 p.m. on Thursday. The Tigers are coming off a 103-75 victory over Chattanooga.