kyxu
01-21-2009, 11:51 PM
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj89/xhoops/839b9385-ff06-4050-9c32-4bcea139d5a.jpgXavier takes life out of Reilly, bounces Bonnies, 84-64*
By Mike Damone
The Xavier Musketeers are often greeted by enthusiastic, but hostile home crowds when on the road in conference play. As the conference’s lone team in the top 25, the #15 Musketeers (16-2, 5-0) are often their opponents’ most anticipated home game, drawing a great deal of attention from opposing fanbases, and a large target on their back from A-10 foes. But considering Xavier’s success on the road so far this season in the conference, winning its first three for the first time in seven years, it appears to be an idea the Musketeers embrace.
The loud, close-knit atmosphere at the Reilly Center in Olean, New York Wednesday evening, coupled with an inspired early effort from the St. Bonaventure Bonnies (11-7, 2-3), provided some problems for Xavier from the outset. But, as with each of the Musketeers’ road conference games this season, Xavier answered the home team’s opening jabs with a knockout punch, this time putting early distance between the Bonnies and them en route to an 84-64 win that wasn’t as close as the final score reflected.
Senior CJ Anderson (15 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast) did start off the scoring with a dunk off a devious inbounds play that involved an assist from an SBU player’s rear, but the Bonnies fought back. Maurice Thomas (11 pts, 10 reb) scored the next four points, and Saint Bonaventure even took a 9-6 lead just over five minutes into the game. The Musketeer offense started cold, going just 1-for-7 over the game’s opening minutes. But freshman Brad Redford (14 pts) gave Xavier the lead for good with the first of his four three’s to put the Musketeers up, 14-11, with 11:19 left in the first half.
SBU’s Andrew Nicholson (13 pts, 3 reb) answered with a bucket to make it 14-13, but Redford canned another three, and the Musketeers never looked back, embarking on 27-9 that quieted the home crowd and squelched the hopes of the home team. The Bonnies had started the game off hot from the floor, but the Xavier defense frustrated them for the remainder of the opening half, while its offense was able to get any shot it wanted.
Freshman Kenny Frease (8 pts, 3 reb) started the decisive run with a lay-up off an offensive board, followed by Anderson creating his own offense off a drive. Six different Musketeers scored on the run, highlighted by nine from Anderson and punctuated by a fall-away three from freshman Terrell Holloway (7 pts) just before the intermission to put Xavier on top, 41-22.
A lay-up from Malcolm Eleby (8 pts, 5 reb) got the Bonnies to within 15, 43-28, but they would get no closer as junior Jason Love (11 pts, 6 reb) answered with an “and one” and junior Derrick Brown (9 pts, 8 reb) followed with a three and a dunk to put Xavier up 51-29 with 16:22 left to play. A steal and thunderous fastbreak slam from sophomore Jamel McLean (4 pts, 3 reb) and up-and-under bucket from Frease gave Xavier their largest lead of the game, 70-40, before Sean Miller began to empty his bench.
The relaxed nature of the game’s waning moments allowed the Bonnies to get a tad closer with a 24-14 run to provide the final margin. After holding SBU to around 30 percent shooting from the field in the first half, the Bonnies picked it up in the second half to shoot a respectable 42 percent. Xavier shot a solid 54.2 percent from the field, including 44.4 percent from long range thanks in part to Redford’s 4-for-8 from distance.
Anderson had a team-high in points (15) and assists (4), while Brown led the Musketeers on the boards with eight. SBU’s leading scorer Michael Hall came into the game averaging around 14 points per contest, but managed just six.
The Musketeers will now head to Baton Rouge to take on the LSU Tigers of the SEC on Saturday at 8 p.m. The Musketeers and Tigers haven’t done battle since the 1980-81 season, where LSU was victorious, 78-62. The Tigers (15-3, 3-1) are coming off an 81-57 victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
*assist from Smooth on the headline
By Mike Damone
The Xavier Musketeers are often greeted by enthusiastic, but hostile home crowds when on the road in conference play. As the conference’s lone team in the top 25, the #15 Musketeers (16-2, 5-0) are often their opponents’ most anticipated home game, drawing a great deal of attention from opposing fanbases, and a large target on their back from A-10 foes. But considering Xavier’s success on the road so far this season in the conference, winning its first three for the first time in seven years, it appears to be an idea the Musketeers embrace.
The loud, close-knit atmosphere at the Reilly Center in Olean, New York Wednesday evening, coupled with an inspired early effort from the St. Bonaventure Bonnies (11-7, 2-3), provided some problems for Xavier from the outset. But, as with each of the Musketeers’ road conference games this season, Xavier answered the home team’s opening jabs with a knockout punch, this time putting early distance between the Bonnies and them en route to an 84-64 win that wasn’t as close as the final score reflected.
Senior CJ Anderson (15 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast) did start off the scoring with a dunk off a devious inbounds play that involved an assist from an SBU player’s rear, but the Bonnies fought back. Maurice Thomas (11 pts, 10 reb) scored the next four points, and Saint Bonaventure even took a 9-6 lead just over five minutes into the game. The Musketeer offense started cold, going just 1-for-7 over the game’s opening minutes. But freshman Brad Redford (14 pts) gave Xavier the lead for good with the first of his four three’s to put the Musketeers up, 14-11, with 11:19 left in the first half.
SBU’s Andrew Nicholson (13 pts, 3 reb) answered with a bucket to make it 14-13, but Redford canned another three, and the Musketeers never looked back, embarking on 27-9 that quieted the home crowd and squelched the hopes of the home team. The Bonnies had started the game off hot from the floor, but the Xavier defense frustrated them for the remainder of the opening half, while its offense was able to get any shot it wanted.
Freshman Kenny Frease (8 pts, 3 reb) started the decisive run with a lay-up off an offensive board, followed by Anderson creating his own offense off a drive. Six different Musketeers scored on the run, highlighted by nine from Anderson and punctuated by a fall-away three from freshman Terrell Holloway (7 pts) just before the intermission to put Xavier on top, 41-22.
A lay-up from Malcolm Eleby (8 pts, 5 reb) got the Bonnies to within 15, 43-28, but they would get no closer as junior Jason Love (11 pts, 6 reb) answered with an “and one” and junior Derrick Brown (9 pts, 8 reb) followed with a three and a dunk to put Xavier up 51-29 with 16:22 left to play. A steal and thunderous fastbreak slam from sophomore Jamel McLean (4 pts, 3 reb) and up-and-under bucket from Frease gave Xavier their largest lead of the game, 70-40, before Sean Miller began to empty his bench.
The relaxed nature of the game’s waning moments allowed the Bonnies to get a tad closer with a 24-14 run to provide the final margin. After holding SBU to around 30 percent shooting from the field in the first half, the Bonnies picked it up in the second half to shoot a respectable 42 percent. Xavier shot a solid 54.2 percent from the field, including 44.4 percent from long range thanks in part to Redford’s 4-for-8 from distance.
Anderson had a team-high in points (15) and assists (4), while Brown led the Musketeers on the boards with eight. SBU’s leading scorer Michael Hall came into the game averaging around 14 points per contest, but managed just six.
The Musketeers will now head to Baton Rouge to take on the LSU Tigers of the SEC on Saturday at 8 p.m. The Musketeers and Tigers haven’t done battle since the 1980-81 season, where LSU was victorious, 78-62. The Tigers (15-3, 3-1) are coming off an 81-57 victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
*assist from Smooth on the headline