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12-10-2008, 11:13 PM
Tutu returns, Anderson dominates as #10 Xavier routs Bobcats, 78-56
By Mike Damone
One week ago, Xavier coach Sean Miller was not happy. Seven days ago, after building a 22-point lead over the middling Auburn Tigers, the Xavier Musketeers (8-0) sleepwalked through the latter portion of the second-half only to escape with a seven-point win. Miller vowed to make things less comfortable for a seemingly moribund squad, promising that the following week’s practice would be “as if they were 0-7”. It wasn’t clear who the subject was of Miller’s ire. But if it was who many thought, whatever Miller did the past six days worked.
Senior CJ Anderson dropped in a game-high 22 points to go along with seven rebounds, while junior Derrick Brown exuded perfection (except from the charity stripe) hitting all seven of his field goal attempts to score 18 points along with three rebounds and five assists, as #10 Xavier toppled the Ohio University Bobcats (4-4), 78-56, Wednesday night at the Cintas Center.
It would have been difficult for senior BJ Raymond to provide the proper encore to his 32-point outburst against Auburn a week ago, but he was good enough against OU, adding 11 points. But a likely catalyst to the Musketeers’ inspired play against the Bobcats was the return of freshman point guard Terrell “Tutu” Holloway (3 ast, 3 reb, 3 steals) to game action after sitting out the last two contests with a stress fracture in his foot.
Wanting to ease him back into game action, Miller used Holloway sparingly, but effectively. Holloway electrified the crowd when he made a steal along the baseline, tip-toed to stay on his feet and keep his dribble, then found Brown down court for a thunderous jam to give the Musketeers a 47-23 lead with 41 seconds left in the first half. Just 17 seconds prior, Holloway drove the lane and put in a teardrop as part of a decisive 18-0 run that effectively subdued the Bobcats and helped Xavier to a 48-25 halftime lead.
The work inside of Brown and Anderson allowed the Musketeers to dominate the paint in the first half, scoring 28 points inside compared to OU’s 10. Junior Jason Love also was a workhorse on the interior, pulling down seven boards and swatting four OU attempts to go with six points for the game. The Musketeers also shot a blistering 72 percent from the field in the opening half, and forced the Bobcats into 12 first half turnovers. Xavier also won the battle of the boards, 36-32.
To the likely delight of Miller and Xavier fans everywhere, the Musketeers never allowed the Bobcats to get closer than 20 the rest of the way. When the Bobcats made it 60-40 with 9:40 to go in the game, Xavier went on an 8-0 run over the span of a minute, keyed by a combined five free throws from Raymond and Love and capped by the third of Brown’s long-range bombs to make it 68-40. Xavier even extended its lead out to 30, 79-49, on a pair of free throws from sophomore Andrew Taylor (2 pts, 2 reb) with just under three minutes left in the game.
The Musketeers also ratcheted up the D in the second half, holding the Bobcats to just 34.5 percent shooting on the night. After a slow start at the free-throw line, Xavier held steady at around 71 percent from the stripe, before Miller emptied his bench in the final moments, and the Musketeers missed their last couple to finish at 69.4 percent. The Bobcats were led by their star Jerome Tillman, who scored 16 points and pulled down eight boards. Tommy Freeman also contributed 15 points off 4-for-8 shooting from three for OU.
The Musketeers won’t travel far for their first true road game of the year on Saturday evening, as Xavier is set to take on their heated crosstown rivals the Cincinnati Bearcats in the annual Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout at the Shoemaker Center in Clifton. The Bearcats (6-1) are coming off a 87-80 victory over the UAB Blazers.
By Mike Damone
One week ago, Xavier coach Sean Miller was not happy. Seven days ago, after building a 22-point lead over the middling Auburn Tigers, the Xavier Musketeers (8-0) sleepwalked through the latter portion of the second-half only to escape with a seven-point win. Miller vowed to make things less comfortable for a seemingly moribund squad, promising that the following week’s practice would be “as if they were 0-7”. It wasn’t clear who the subject was of Miller’s ire. But if it was who many thought, whatever Miller did the past six days worked.
Senior CJ Anderson dropped in a game-high 22 points to go along with seven rebounds, while junior Derrick Brown exuded perfection (except from the charity stripe) hitting all seven of his field goal attempts to score 18 points along with three rebounds and five assists, as #10 Xavier toppled the Ohio University Bobcats (4-4), 78-56, Wednesday night at the Cintas Center.
It would have been difficult for senior BJ Raymond to provide the proper encore to his 32-point outburst against Auburn a week ago, but he was good enough against OU, adding 11 points. But a likely catalyst to the Musketeers’ inspired play against the Bobcats was the return of freshman point guard Terrell “Tutu” Holloway (3 ast, 3 reb, 3 steals) to game action after sitting out the last two contests with a stress fracture in his foot.
Wanting to ease him back into game action, Miller used Holloway sparingly, but effectively. Holloway electrified the crowd when he made a steal along the baseline, tip-toed to stay on his feet and keep his dribble, then found Brown down court for a thunderous jam to give the Musketeers a 47-23 lead with 41 seconds left in the first half. Just 17 seconds prior, Holloway drove the lane and put in a teardrop as part of a decisive 18-0 run that effectively subdued the Bobcats and helped Xavier to a 48-25 halftime lead.
The work inside of Brown and Anderson allowed the Musketeers to dominate the paint in the first half, scoring 28 points inside compared to OU’s 10. Junior Jason Love also was a workhorse on the interior, pulling down seven boards and swatting four OU attempts to go with six points for the game. The Musketeers also shot a blistering 72 percent from the field in the opening half, and forced the Bobcats into 12 first half turnovers. Xavier also won the battle of the boards, 36-32.
To the likely delight of Miller and Xavier fans everywhere, the Musketeers never allowed the Bobcats to get closer than 20 the rest of the way. When the Bobcats made it 60-40 with 9:40 to go in the game, Xavier went on an 8-0 run over the span of a minute, keyed by a combined five free throws from Raymond and Love and capped by the third of Brown’s long-range bombs to make it 68-40. Xavier even extended its lead out to 30, 79-49, on a pair of free throws from sophomore Andrew Taylor (2 pts, 2 reb) with just under three minutes left in the game.
The Musketeers also ratcheted up the D in the second half, holding the Bobcats to just 34.5 percent shooting on the night. After a slow start at the free-throw line, Xavier held steady at around 71 percent from the stripe, before Miller emptied his bench in the final moments, and the Musketeers missed their last couple to finish at 69.4 percent. The Bobcats were led by their star Jerome Tillman, who scored 16 points and pulled down eight boards. Tommy Freeman also contributed 15 points off 4-for-8 shooting from three for OU.
The Musketeers won’t travel far for their first true road game of the year on Saturday evening, as Xavier is set to take on their heated crosstown rivals the Cincinnati Bearcats in the annual Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout at the Shoemaker Center in Clifton. The Bearcats (6-1) are coming off a 87-80 victory over the UAB Blazers.