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01-08-2009, 10:55 PM
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj89/xhoops/97fd1e07-e976-4004-bac0-9a5b28b7bb5.jpgBrown, Xavier defense stump Saint Louis, 70-44
By Mike Damone
If Rick Majerus and the Saint Louis Billikens ever have nightmares leading up to a game against the Xavier Musketeers, it will be Derrick Brown they see. Last February in St. Louis, Brown came from nowhere to tip in the game-winning tally with under a second left to give the Musketeers a thrilling 70-68 win – a Xavier win that provided a sour conclusion to an otherwise impressive late Billiken rally.
On Thursday night at the Cintas Center, Brown reprised his role as the Billiken slayer, scoring a game-high 20 points off a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor that included 3-for-3 from long distance and five-for-five from the free throw line in leading the #16 Xavier Musketeers (12-2, 1-0) to their first win of the Atlantic 10 Conference season – a 70-44 demolition of the Saint Louis Billikens (9-6, 0-1).
But the win over the Billikens started and ended with Xavier’s defense on Saint Louis’ two-headed monster of Kevin Lisch (9 pts, 4 reb) and Tommy Liddell (5 points). The pair came into the game averaging around 28 points per game, but came away with only 14 total points off a dismal combined 24 percent (6-for-25) from the floor.
Sophomore Dante Jackson’s (2 pts, 6 ast, 2 stl) aggressive style along the perimeter on defense was a big factor in the Saint Louis stars’ inability to get going, as well as junior Jason Love’s (11 points, 6 reb) defensive disruption on the interior in preventing the young Billiken frontcourt from compensating. The Billikens as a team shot just 30 percent from the field, 10 percent from long distance and only 47.8 percent from the charity stripe.
The Billikens also came into the game holding their opponents to around 55 points per game. For most of the first half, Saint Louis kept Xavier within reach, as the Musketeers held just a 26-17 lead with under six minutes remaining in the half after a Brian Conklin (8 pts, 4 reb) lay-up. But a 13-5 run that saw five different Musketeers score over the half’s final five minutes gave Xavier a 39-22 lead at the break. A three from freshman Brad Redford (8 pts, 4 reb) electrified the crowd and put Xavier up by double-digits to stay. Brown also showed his range in the opening half, scoring 11 before the break with none of his points coming from inside.
Brown scored five of Xavier’s first seven points of the second half, and a jumper by senior BJ Raymond (4 pts, 3 reb) stretched Xavier’s lead out to 20, 46-26, with 17:51 left in the game. A slam from Brown off a feed from senior CJ Anderson (13 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast) followed by a short jumper from Love put Xavier up 60-34 with just under 10 minutes left in the game. Redford closed out the game on a small 5-2 run of his own off a lay-up and three to provide the final margin.
The Billikens pride themselves on the same frustrating pack-line defense employed by Xavier. However, freshman Terrell Holloway (4 pts, 3 ast) turned in another strong performance as the Musketeers’ new starting point guard in controlling the Xavier offense and taking care of the ball. The Xavier offense turned the ball over a season-low eight times, while dishing out 15 assists.
The Musketeers will head to historic Rose Hill Gym in the Bronx, New York on Sunday at 1 p.m. to take on the Fordham Rams. Raymond’s 20 points led Xavier to a 68-50 win over the Rams a year ago in Cincinnati. The Rams (2-11, 0-1) are coming off a 78-65 loss to the Saint Bonaventure Bonnies on Wednesday.
By Mike Damone
If Rick Majerus and the Saint Louis Billikens ever have nightmares leading up to a game against the Xavier Musketeers, it will be Derrick Brown they see. Last February in St. Louis, Brown came from nowhere to tip in the game-winning tally with under a second left to give the Musketeers a thrilling 70-68 win – a Xavier win that provided a sour conclusion to an otherwise impressive late Billiken rally.
On Thursday night at the Cintas Center, Brown reprised his role as the Billiken slayer, scoring a game-high 20 points off a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor that included 3-for-3 from long distance and five-for-five from the free throw line in leading the #16 Xavier Musketeers (12-2, 1-0) to their first win of the Atlantic 10 Conference season – a 70-44 demolition of the Saint Louis Billikens (9-6, 0-1).
But the win over the Billikens started and ended with Xavier’s defense on Saint Louis’ two-headed monster of Kevin Lisch (9 pts, 4 reb) and Tommy Liddell (5 points). The pair came into the game averaging around 28 points per game, but came away with only 14 total points off a dismal combined 24 percent (6-for-25) from the floor.
Sophomore Dante Jackson’s (2 pts, 6 ast, 2 stl) aggressive style along the perimeter on defense was a big factor in the Saint Louis stars’ inability to get going, as well as junior Jason Love’s (11 points, 6 reb) defensive disruption on the interior in preventing the young Billiken frontcourt from compensating. The Billikens as a team shot just 30 percent from the field, 10 percent from long distance and only 47.8 percent from the charity stripe.
The Billikens also came into the game holding their opponents to around 55 points per game. For most of the first half, Saint Louis kept Xavier within reach, as the Musketeers held just a 26-17 lead with under six minutes remaining in the half after a Brian Conklin (8 pts, 4 reb) lay-up. But a 13-5 run that saw five different Musketeers score over the half’s final five minutes gave Xavier a 39-22 lead at the break. A three from freshman Brad Redford (8 pts, 4 reb) electrified the crowd and put Xavier up by double-digits to stay. Brown also showed his range in the opening half, scoring 11 before the break with none of his points coming from inside.
Brown scored five of Xavier’s first seven points of the second half, and a jumper by senior BJ Raymond (4 pts, 3 reb) stretched Xavier’s lead out to 20, 46-26, with 17:51 left in the game. A slam from Brown off a feed from senior CJ Anderson (13 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast) followed by a short jumper from Love put Xavier up 60-34 with just under 10 minutes left in the game. Redford closed out the game on a small 5-2 run of his own off a lay-up and three to provide the final margin.
The Billikens pride themselves on the same frustrating pack-line defense employed by Xavier. However, freshman Terrell Holloway (4 pts, 3 ast) turned in another strong performance as the Musketeers’ new starting point guard in controlling the Xavier offense and taking care of the ball. The Xavier offense turned the ball over a season-low eight times, while dishing out 15 assists.
The Musketeers will head to historic Rose Hill Gym in the Bronx, New York on Sunday at 1 p.m. to take on the Fordham Rams. Raymond’s 20 points led Xavier to a 68-50 win over the Rams a year ago in Cincinnati. The Rams (2-11, 0-1) are coming off a 78-65 loss to the Saint Bonaventure Bonnies on Wednesday.