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01-11-2009, 05:07 PM
Musketeers answer Rams’ charge, run away with second half, 86-60
By Mike Damone
In the #16 Xavier Musketeers’ first road game of the Atlantic 10 Conference season, tough perimeter defense, rebounding and offensive balance helped quell what could have been a monumental upset in college basketball, as the Musketeers used a 10-0 and 13-0 run in the second half to defeat a hapless Fordham Rams team (2-12, 0-2), 86-60, at Rose Hill Gym in the Bronx on Sunday afternoon.
After Xavier (13-2, 2-0) took a commanding 45-30 lead into the half, the Fordham Rams ripped off 18 points in the second half’s first five minutes, thanks to an offensive outburst from Alberto Estwick (20 pts, 3 reb) and a fastbreak three from Mike Moore (6 pts, 3 reb) to cut Xavier’s lead to just one, 49-48, with 15:25 to go in the game.
Xavier coach Sean Miller burned a second timeout in the span of a minute, as the Musketeers had managed just four points during the Rams’ run, while the Rams connected on their first six shots of the half.
But right out of the timeout, junior Derrick Brown (14 pts, 7 reb) put back his own miss for a bucket, senior BJ Raymond (18 pts, 5 reb) followed a lay-up with a three off an assist from sophomore Dante Jackson and Jackson found freshman Brad Redford (11 points) in the corner off the fastbreak for a three that capped a 10-0 run and gave Xavier back an 11-point lead, 59-48, with just under 13 minutes to go.
Fordham would cut into Xavier’s lead, 59-51, off a lay-up from Zach Wing (2 pts, 3 reb) and free throw from Jiovanny Fontan (10 pts, 11 ast), but Xavier responded with a 13-0 run that put the game to rest.
During the run, Xavier combined a more up-tempo offensive style with even tighter defense that caused Fordham’s shooting to cool. The Musketeers also owned the defensive glass, forcing Fordham into many one-and-done possessions. Offensively, the Musketeers shared the ball about as well as they have all season, as the guards found Brown, Anderson or junior Jason Love open down low to exploit their superior size and athleticism on the interior against the Rams.
Despite scoring 18 points in the second half’s first five minutes – a point total that took them 13 minutes to reach in the first half – the Rams were held to just 12 points over the game’s final 15 minutes. Fontan gave the Musketeers problems in the early going with his ability to penetrate and find open men on the perimeter, but Jackson and freshmen Terrell Holloway (11 points) and Redford tightened their defense on Fontan to effectively halt the Rams’ bid for an upset.
The Rams kept the first half close, twice tying the Musketeers, but never taking the lead. Xavier lead just 26-22 with 6:30 left in the first half, before Xavier went on an 11-0 run, which was capped by Redford’s first three of the game. Raymond connected on a three with 13 seconds left in the half, which was answered by a quick bucket from Moore to provide the halftime margin.
The unselfish and aggressive play of Jackson and Love helped the Musketeers pull away in the second half. Jackson filled up the stat sheet with a team-high six assists to go with four points, four steals and six rebounds. Love and Anderson shared a game-high eight rebounds, while Love was the subject of several hard fouls down low. Love still converted 7-of-8 free throws in scoring 13 points. Anderson also contributed four assists to go with his 10 points and superb rebounding.
The Musketeers thumped the Rams on the glass, 44-21. Xavier also held Fordham to just 33.3 percent shooting, while the Musketeers were 53.8 percent from the field, 70 percent from the line, and connected on nine of their 17 attempts from downtown. It was also the first time this season the Musketeers had six players score in double figures.
The Musketeers remain on the road to take on the Rhode Island Rams on Thursday at 8 p.m. in Kingston, Rhode Island. Last year in Kingston, Josh Duncan’s 23 points off a perfect 8-for-8 shooting led the Musketeers to a 81-77 victory over the Rams. The Rams (11-5, 0-1) are coming off a 92-86 triple-overtime loss to the St. Joseph’s Hawks. The Musketeers will look to start 3-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2005-06 season.
By Mike Damone
In the #16 Xavier Musketeers’ first road game of the Atlantic 10 Conference season, tough perimeter defense, rebounding and offensive balance helped quell what could have been a monumental upset in college basketball, as the Musketeers used a 10-0 and 13-0 run in the second half to defeat a hapless Fordham Rams team (2-12, 0-2), 86-60, at Rose Hill Gym in the Bronx on Sunday afternoon.
After Xavier (13-2, 2-0) took a commanding 45-30 lead into the half, the Fordham Rams ripped off 18 points in the second half’s first five minutes, thanks to an offensive outburst from Alberto Estwick (20 pts, 3 reb) and a fastbreak three from Mike Moore (6 pts, 3 reb) to cut Xavier’s lead to just one, 49-48, with 15:25 to go in the game.
Xavier coach Sean Miller burned a second timeout in the span of a minute, as the Musketeers had managed just four points during the Rams’ run, while the Rams connected on their first six shots of the half.
But right out of the timeout, junior Derrick Brown (14 pts, 7 reb) put back his own miss for a bucket, senior BJ Raymond (18 pts, 5 reb) followed a lay-up with a three off an assist from sophomore Dante Jackson and Jackson found freshman Brad Redford (11 points) in the corner off the fastbreak for a three that capped a 10-0 run and gave Xavier back an 11-point lead, 59-48, with just under 13 minutes to go.
Fordham would cut into Xavier’s lead, 59-51, off a lay-up from Zach Wing (2 pts, 3 reb) and free throw from Jiovanny Fontan (10 pts, 11 ast), but Xavier responded with a 13-0 run that put the game to rest.
During the run, Xavier combined a more up-tempo offensive style with even tighter defense that caused Fordham’s shooting to cool. The Musketeers also owned the defensive glass, forcing Fordham into many one-and-done possessions. Offensively, the Musketeers shared the ball about as well as they have all season, as the guards found Brown, Anderson or junior Jason Love open down low to exploit their superior size and athleticism on the interior against the Rams.
Despite scoring 18 points in the second half’s first five minutes – a point total that took them 13 minutes to reach in the first half – the Rams were held to just 12 points over the game’s final 15 minutes. Fontan gave the Musketeers problems in the early going with his ability to penetrate and find open men on the perimeter, but Jackson and freshmen Terrell Holloway (11 points) and Redford tightened their defense on Fontan to effectively halt the Rams’ bid for an upset.
The Rams kept the first half close, twice tying the Musketeers, but never taking the lead. Xavier lead just 26-22 with 6:30 left in the first half, before Xavier went on an 11-0 run, which was capped by Redford’s first three of the game. Raymond connected on a three with 13 seconds left in the half, which was answered by a quick bucket from Moore to provide the halftime margin.
The unselfish and aggressive play of Jackson and Love helped the Musketeers pull away in the second half. Jackson filled up the stat sheet with a team-high six assists to go with four points, four steals and six rebounds. Love and Anderson shared a game-high eight rebounds, while Love was the subject of several hard fouls down low. Love still converted 7-of-8 free throws in scoring 13 points. Anderson also contributed four assists to go with his 10 points and superb rebounding.
The Musketeers thumped the Rams on the glass, 44-21. Xavier also held Fordham to just 33.3 percent shooting, while the Musketeers were 53.8 percent from the field, 70 percent from the line, and connected on nine of their 17 attempts from downtown. It was also the first time this season the Musketeers had six players score in double figures.
The Musketeers remain on the road to take on the Rhode Island Rams on Thursday at 8 p.m. in Kingston, Rhode Island. Last year in Kingston, Josh Duncan’s 23 points off a perfect 8-for-8 shooting led the Musketeers to a 81-77 victory over the Rams. The Rams (11-5, 0-1) are coming off a 92-86 triple-overtime loss to the St. Joseph’s Hawks. The Musketeers will look to start 3-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2005-06 season.