kyxu
03-21-2009, 11:29 AM
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj89/xhoops/46cb0ecc-f471-4e2a-b6c3-39d92153cb8.jpgJackson leads Xavier’s Viking conquest in opening round, 77-59
by Mike Damone
The lure of March Madness is premised on its unpredictability, rife with stories of previous unknowns putting it all together for just one night to shock the world and bring down a giant.
Heading into Saturday night’s first round contest in Boise against the 13-seed Portland State Vikings (23-10), the 4-seed Xavier Musketeers (26-7) possessed, on paper, advantages in the interior, on rebounding and on the defensive end. The Musketeers also weren’t far behind in long-range proficiency to the reputed hot-shooting Vikings.
But with the way Xavier had been playing heading into the NCAA Tournament – losing five of its last 10 games – what may have been most unpredictable was that the Musketeers truly dominated the way they should.
Sophomore Dante Jackson (13 pts, 3 ast, 4 stl) – who’s developing a penchant for being at his best in big games – turned in arguably one of his best all-around performances of his career. In addition to pouring in 13 points in Xavier’s 77-59 demolition of Portland State Saturday, Jackson held in check Portland State’s diminutive playmaker and Big Sky Player of the Year Jeremiah Dominguez (13 pts, 4 reb) for the entire second half.
Xavier on more than one occasion took a double-digit lead in the first half, but the three-point shot – the great equalizer in basketball – would be the Vikings’ key to getting back in the game, in addition to Dominguez, a 5’6 guard who dices up opponents by knocking down the deep jumper or penetrating to score or dish.
The Musketeers took a 17-7 lead with 14:04 left in the first half when freshman Terrell Holloway (8 points) knocked down a three from the top of the key. Jackson got the scoring started for the Musketeers with a trey just before the shot clock expired on Xavier’s opening possession. Senior CJ Anderson (14 pts, 3 ast) added four more and senior BJ Raymond (13 pts, 6 reb) knocked down a three from the wing to put Xavier up three. Freshman Kenny Frease (4 pts, 4 reb) scored four quick points inside on consecutive possessions before Holloway’s three capped the run.
Meanwhile, Dominguez was having his way with the Xavier defense, penetrating for short jumpers, or getting clean looks at an open three. The Vikings got their offensive touch back, chipping away at Xavier’s lead, before taking their first and only lead, 25-24, of the ballgame on an Andre Murray (14 pts, 3 reb) three with 7:44 left in the first half.
But Xavier would regain control. Within seconds, junior Derrick Brown (13 pts, 3 reb) put Xavier back on top with a fadeaway, and freshman Brad Redford (3 points) splashed a deep three from the wing to put Xavier back up 4, 29-25, with 6:49 left in the first half.
Jackson hit another three from the corner to put Xavier back up by 10, 37-27, with 4:24 left in the first half. Sophomore Jamel McLean (5 pts, 6 reb) would later put Xavier up 11, 40-29, when he was fouled on a lay-in and made good on the ensuing free throw.
But the Vikings continued to find refuge in the three-pointer, as Murray cut Portland State’s deficit to just 7, 42-35, with a triple just before the halftime buzzer. The Musketeers had no problems building leads on the undersized Vikings, but Portland State continued to battle, repeatedly cutting into Xavier’s lead by making contested shots.
Dominguez keyed the Vikings with 13 first-half points, scoring from everywhere on the floor, as well as finding open teammates who could also knock it down. But Xavier would make the most of its superior size and athleticism in the second-half, bottling up Dominguez and pulling away from the over-matched Vikings.
Raymond and Jackson started the scoring in the second half, with Raymond splashing a three and Jackson scoring on a drive to put Xavier up 12, 47-35. The Vikings would never seriously challenge Xavier in the second half, as the Musketeer defense forced Portland State into a five-minute offensive drought, while Xavier went on a 13-0 run to build an insurmountable 23-point lead.
The upperclassmen took over, as Anderson and Brown took turns burning the Vikings for short jumpers or drives to the hoop. Raymond swished a three from the wing, and junior Jason Love (4 pts, 8 reb) knocked down a pair of free throws to give Xavier its largest lead, 68-45, with just under eight minutes to go in the game.
The Vikings could get no closer than 16, allowing Xavier to take its time on the offensive end and wait for good shots. A lay-up from Jamie Jones (16 pts, 5 reb) cut Xavier’s lead to 17, but Brown and McLean rattled the rim with consecutive dunks Xavier’s next two possessions to put the Musketeers back up by 21, 77-56, with just 1:24 to play.
The Vikings got a cosmetic three with 17 seconds left to provide the final margin, as Miller was able to let a few of the little-used reserves see game action in Xavier’s most lopsided NCAA Tournament win in school history.
The Musketeers showed tremendous balance on offense, with four players scoring in double-figures, led by Anderson’s 14, and shot a solid 53.7 percent from the field. Xavier also owned the interior, outscoring the Vikings 34-14 in the paint, and winning the battle of the boards, 30-20. Love pulled in a game-high eight rebounds. Xavier also committed a season-low seven turnovers against its 12 assists. Jones paced the Vikings with 16 points, followed by Murray’s 14 and Dominguez’s 13.
For the third-consecutive season, the Musketeers have advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament where they will face the 12-seed Wisconsin Badgers. Xavier got the best of the Badgers in the teams’ last match-up, a 57-48 Musketeer victory in Cincinnati during the 2001-02 season. Wisconsin (20-12) is coming off a thrilling 61-59 overtime upset of 5-seed Florida State on Saturday. A win would give Xavier coach Sean Miller the record for most NCAA victories by a Xavier head coach.
by Mike Damone
The lure of March Madness is premised on its unpredictability, rife with stories of previous unknowns putting it all together for just one night to shock the world and bring down a giant.
Heading into Saturday night’s first round contest in Boise against the 13-seed Portland State Vikings (23-10), the 4-seed Xavier Musketeers (26-7) possessed, on paper, advantages in the interior, on rebounding and on the defensive end. The Musketeers also weren’t far behind in long-range proficiency to the reputed hot-shooting Vikings.
But with the way Xavier had been playing heading into the NCAA Tournament – losing five of its last 10 games – what may have been most unpredictable was that the Musketeers truly dominated the way they should.
Sophomore Dante Jackson (13 pts, 3 ast, 4 stl) – who’s developing a penchant for being at his best in big games – turned in arguably one of his best all-around performances of his career. In addition to pouring in 13 points in Xavier’s 77-59 demolition of Portland State Saturday, Jackson held in check Portland State’s diminutive playmaker and Big Sky Player of the Year Jeremiah Dominguez (13 pts, 4 reb) for the entire second half.
Xavier on more than one occasion took a double-digit lead in the first half, but the three-point shot – the great equalizer in basketball – would be the Vikings’ key to getting back in the game, in addition to Dominguez, a 5’6 guard who dices up opponents by knocking down the deep jumper or penetrating to score or dish.
The Musketeers took a 17-7 lead with 14:04 left in the first half when freshman Terrell Holloway (8 points) knocked down a three from the top of the key. Jackson got the scoring started for the Musketeers with a trey just before the shot clock expired on Xavier’s opening possession. Senior CJ Anderson (14 pts, 3 ast) added four more and senior BJ Raymond (13 pts, 6 reb) knocked down a three from the wing to put Xavier up three. Freshman Kenny Frease (4 pts, 4 reb) scored four quick points inside on consecutive possessions before Holloway’s three capped the run.
Meanwhile, Dominguez was having his way with the Xavier defense, penetrating for short jumpers, or getting clean looks at an open three. The Vikings got their offensive touch back, chipping away at Xavier’s lead, before taking their first and only lead, 25-24, of the ballgame on an Andre Murray (14 pts, 3 reb) three with 7:44 left in the first half.
But Xavier would regain control. Within seconds, junior Derrick Brown (13 pts, 3 reb) put Xavier back on top with a fadeaway, and freshman Brad Redford (3 points) splashed a deep three from the wing to put Xavier back up 4, 29-25, with 6:49 left in the first half.
Jackson hit another three from the corner to put Xavier back up by 10, 37-27, with 4:24 left in the first half. Sophomore Jamel McLean (5 pts, 6 reb) would later put Xavier up 11, 40-29, when he was fouled on a lay-in and made good on the ensuing free throw.
But the Vikings continued to find refuge in the three-pointer, as Murray cut Portland State’s deficit to just 7, 42-35, with a triple just before the halftime buzzer. The Musketeers had no problems building leads on the undersized Vikings, but Portland State continued to battle, repeatedly cutting into Xavier’s lead by making contested shots.
Dominguez keyed the Vikings with 13 first-half points, scoring from everywhere on the floor, as well as finding open teammates who could also knock it down. But Xavier would make the most of its superior size and athleticism in the second-half, bottling up Dominguez and pulling away from the over-matched Vikings.
Raymond and Jackson started the scoring in the second half, with Raymond splashing a three and Jackson scoring on a drive to put Xavier up 12, 47-35. The Vikings would never seriously challenge Xavier in the second half, as the Musketeer defense forced Portland State into a five-minute offensive drought, while Xavier went on a 13-0 run to build an insurmountable 23-point lead.
The upperclassmen took over, as Anderson and Brown took turns burning the Vikings for short jumpers or drives to the hoop. Raymond swished a three from the wing, and junior Jason Love (4 pts, 8 reb) knocked down a pair of free throws to give Xavier its largest lead, 68-45, with just under eight minutes to go in the game.
The Vikings could get no closer than 16, allowing Xavier to take its time on the offensive end and wait for good shots. A lay-up from Jamie Jones (16 pts, 5 reb) cut Xavier’s lead to 17, but Brown and McLean rattled the rim with consecutive dunks Xavier’s next two possessions to put the Musketeers back up by 21, 77-56, with just 1:24 to play.
The Vikings got a cosmetic three with 17 seconds left to provide the final margin, as Miller was able to let a few of the little-used reserves see game action in Xavier’s most lopsided NCAA Tournament win in school history.
The Musketeers showed tremendous balance on offense, with four players scoring in double-figures, led by Anderson’s 14, and shot a solid 53.7 percent from the field. Xavier also owned the interior, outscoring the Vikings 34-14 in the paint, and winning the battle of the boards, 30-20. Love pulled in a game-high eight rebounds. Xavier also committed a season-low seven turnovers against its 12 assists. Jones paced the Vikings with 16 points, followed by Murray’s 14 and Dominguez’s 13.
For the third-consecutive season, the Musketeers have advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament where they will face the 12-seed Wisconsin Badgers. Xavier got the best of the Badgers in the teams’ last match-up, a 57-48 Musketeer victory in Cincinnati during the 2001-02 season. Wisconsin (20-12) is coming off a thrilling 61-59 overtime upset of 5-seed Florida State on Saturday. A win would give Xavier coach Sean Miller the record for most NCAA victories by a Xavier head coach.