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kyxu
01-10-2010, 05:25 PM
Capital rally helps Xavier take down GW in DC, 76-69
by Mike Damone

The Musketeers are beginning to show some creativity on the road. Four days after blowing a 20-point lead at La Salle before recovering and inching away in the final moments, the Musketeers this time had to overcome a big deficit of their own, using an offensive flurry to run away with a 76-69 victory over the George Washington Colonials Sunday afternoon at Foggy Bottom.

After Xavier (10-5, 2-0) struggled in its non-conference road games, one white-knuckled road win has begat another, and the Musketeers have begun their conference schedule in strong fashion, starting 2-0 with both victories coming away from the Cintas Center.

For the first 32 minutes of Sunday afternoon’s contest against George Washington (11-4, 1-1), Xavier’s road problems seemed to resurface. The Musketeers gave up 12 offensive rebounds to GW, allowing the Colonials eight second-chance points in the first half alone. Xavier also coughed up the basketball 11 times in the first half, leading to 17 Colonial points. GW’s astounding 59 percent first-half shooting helped it to a healthy 41-30 halftime lead.

And with just 8:24 left in the game, the Colonials seemed well on their way to pulling off a conference upset, leading Xavier 60-50. The Musketeers had modestly threatened the Colonials’ lead through the first 12 minute of the second half, but were unable to cut it under seven. Every Musketeer effort on the offensive end appeared futile, with buckets coming few and far between and Xavier unable to make a stop on the defensive end without committing a foul.

Out of a timeout with under eight minutes left and Xavier trialing by 10, Jordan Crawford (18 pts, 7 reb) drove for a lay-up, and Jason Love (19 pts, 13 reb) brought the Musketeers to the closest they had been since the first half with a pair of free throws to bring Xavier to within six, 60-54. On GW’s next possession, Jamel McLean (3 pts, 7 reb) pulled down a big rebound off a Colonial miss, leading to a Dante Jackson (8 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast) three that seemed to shift the momentum for good and brought Xavier to within three, 60-57.

McLean tipped in a miss by Love to bring Xavier to within one, and Crawford put the Musketeers up for good, 61-60, with a baseline jumper after corralling an offensive rebound. After another empty Colonial possession, McLean kept alive a Xavier possession with an offensive rebound and Terrell Holloway (15 points) extended Xavier’s lead with a lay-up off a drive, 63-60.

Holloway was visibly more aggressive with the ball in the second half, driving through the teeth of GW’s defense on his way to the rim, often drawing the foul. Holloway splashed a pair of free throws to put the Musketeers up four, 65-61 before Love scored inside to further stretch the Xavier lead and effectively deflate the Colonials. Damian Hollis (23 pts, 5 reb, 5 blk) ended GW’s field goal drought with a long three with 36 seconds left, but Xavier still led by six at that point. When it was all said and done, Xavier had embarked on a 20-1 run that saw the Colonials go without a single field goal for eight minutes.

The second-chance opportunities that were so prevalent for GW in the first half were no more, and Xavier frustrated the Colonials’ offense with a zone, forcing them into many one-and-done’s throughout the Musketeers’ decisive run. After Love gave Xavier its largest lead of the afternoon, 74-64, with a pair of free throws, Holloway went a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe in the game’s final moments to seal the victory.

A Brad Redford (9 points) three gave Xavier the lead, 26-25, with 5:24 left in the first half, but GW took over. Tony Taylor (7 points) answered immediately with a three of his own, sending the Colonials on a 14-2 run over nearly four minutes. Hollis added seven on the run, and capped it with a three from the wing to give GW an 11-point lead, 39-28. The Colonials maintained the margin, going into the intermission up 41-30.

Through much of the second half, Xavier picked up a few points on George Washington’s lead, but never seriously challenged the Colonials. The Musketeers had trouble keeping GW off the glass, and had great difficulty establishing any offensive rhythm.

GW’s pressure defense frustrated Xavier’s guards, forcing Holloway to run Xavier’s offense from deep in the backcourt. The Musketeers also didn’t do themselves any favors in missing many point blank opportunities inside. GW played with great intensity for most of the game, but once Xavier began its deciding run, the Colonials appeared to tire and miss the shots they invariably made in controlling Xavier for much of Sunday afternoon.

GW shot an outstanding 59 percent in the first half, but went just 31 percent from the field in the second half. The Musketeers shot just 39 percent for the game, but were 50 percent from three and 76 percent from the free-throw line.

Hollis led all scorers with 23 points, but only six of those came in the second half. Love’s 19 points and 13 rebounds were enough for his fifth double-double of the season. Crawford added 18, and Holloway finished with 15 thanks to his 13-for-14 performance from the free-throw line.

Xavier will return home for the first time in 2010 to take on the Charlotte 49ers at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The 49ers (11-4, 1-0) are coming off a 57-54 win over St. Bonaventure. Charlotte and Xavier split their two meetings last year, with the home team emerging victorious in each contest.

American X
01-10-2010, 06:49 PM
You're in top form, Damone.

I was impressed with how quickly they erased that 11 point deficit. Up to that point, Xavier was dead in the water and could not get a defensive stop to cut into that lead to save their life. Lesson: do not give up on this team no matter the situation.

High praise for starting the conference season with two precious road wins.