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02-03-2010, 09:41 PM
Crawford-led rally helps Xavier withstand UMass, 87-79
by Mike Damone
The road has been inhospitable to Xavier this season. The Musketeers are an 0-fer so far on their opponents’ floor in the non-conference, but have won three of their first four road contests in the Atlantic 10. None have been easy, however, including Wednesday night’s affair in Amherst where Xavier needed a late 9-0 run to pull away from a pesky UMass team and escape with a vital 87-79 win.
The Musketeers (16-6, 8-1) parlayed an efficient first half of 64 percent shooting into a fitful second half that saw Xavier score just 10 points in the half’s first 10 minutes. Xavier’s 17-point halftime lead quickly shrank, then evaporated on the back of 18 second-half points from Ricky Harris (24 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast). UMass’ dribble penetration gave Xavier problems in the second half, and their ball pressure prevented the Musketeers from getting any good looks inside.
UMass (8-14, 2-6) took its first lead of the second half off a free throw from Anthony Gurley (6 pts, 3 reb) with 7:28 left in the game, and the two teams went back and forth over the next three minutes.
A layup by Terrell Vinson (11 pts, 3 reb) gave UMass a one-point lead, 69-68, with 4:37 to go before Jordan Crawford (25 pts, 4 reb) rescued the Musketeers. Crawford quickly answered Vinson with a three from the corner to put Xavier up two, then added another wide open three to give the Musketeers some breathing room, 74-69, with 3:29 to go.
After a rare empty UMass possession, Dante Jackson (5 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast) found Jamel McLean (14 pts, 11 reb) inside for the basket and foul to give Xavier an 8-point lead and seemingly suck the life from the UMass upset bid.
In an attempt to give themselves more possessions, the Minutemen sped the game up with a press, but Xavier cut through and scored with ease to keep UMass at arm’s length.
A short jumper from Harris cut Xavier’s lead to five, 84-79, but only 20 seconds remained as Terrell Holloway (16 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast) and Crawford sealed the deal going 3-for-4 from the line in the final seconds.
In the first half, it looked as if Xavier might get a break for a change. After UMass took an early 13-10 advantage with 15:53 to go, the Musketeers took off an 18-0 run to take a 28-13 lead. UMass started the game hot, going toe-to-toe offensively with Xavier, but went clank city over four minutes, leading to multiple Musketeer fastbreak points.
McLean led the Musketeers on the run, scoring seven points and a pulling down a pair of boards. UMass would cut the lead to seven, 38-31, off a hoop and foul from Hashim Bailey (6 pts, 4 reb) with 3:26 to go before the break, but 10-2 Musketeer run closed out the half, 50-33.
Jason Love (15 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast) book-ended the run with a layup and a pair of free throws, while Crawford and Holloway each knocked down a triple.
Crawford led four Musketeers in double figures with a game-high 25 points. Holloway added 16, followed by 15 from Love. McLean rounded out the scoring with a double-double of 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Four Minutemen scored in double figures, led by Harris’ 24. Javorn Farrell (12 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast) notched 12, followed by Vinson 11 and 10 from Freddie Riley (10 pts, 5 reb).
UMass shot a respectable 42 percent from the field, but went just 7-for-32 from three. Xavier shot nearly 60 percent, but were just 66 percent from the free-throw line, including an uncharacteristic 3-for-8 from the charity stripe for Holloway.
The all-important road win keeps Xavier atop the Atlantic 10 standings for at least another few days.
Xavier remains on the road, but won’t have to travel far for its next stop, up I-75 to UD Arena to take on their conference rival Dayton Flyers on Saturday at noon. The Flyers (15-6, 4-3) dispatched the St. Bonaventure Bonnies, 75-58, last Saturday in Olean, NY. Xavier won the last meeting between the heated rivals, outlasting the Flyers, 78-74.
by Mike Damone
The road has been inhospitable to Xavier this season. The Musketeers are an 0-fer so far on their opponents’ floor in the non-conference, but have won three of their first four road contests in the Atlantic 10. None have been easy, however, including Wednesday night’s affair in Amherst where Xavier needed a late 9-0 run to pull away from a pesky UMass team and escape with a vital 87-79 win.
The Musketeers (16-6, 8-1) parlayed an efficient first half of 64 percent shooting into a fitful second half that saw Xavier score just 10 points in the half’s first 10 minutes. Xavier’s 17-point halftime lead quickly shrank, then evaporated on the back of 18 second-half points from Ricky Harris (24 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast). UMass’ dribble penetration gave Xavier problems in the second half, and their ball pressure prevented the Musketeers from getting any good looks inside.
UMass (8-14, 2-6) took its first lead of the second half off a free throw from Anthony Gurley (6 pts, 3 reb) with 7:28 left in the game, and the two teams went back and forth over the next three minutes.
A layup by Terrell Vinson (11 pts, 3 reb) gave UMass a one-point lead, 69-68, with 4:37 to go before Jordan Crawford (25 pts, 4 reb) rescued the Musketeers. Crawford quickly answered Vinson with a three from the corner to put Xavier up two, then added another wide open three to give the Musketeers some breathing room, 74-69, with 3:29 to go.
After a rare empty UMass possession, Dante Jackson (5 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast) found Jamel McLean (14 pts, 11 reb) inside for the basket and foul to give Xavier an 8-point lead and seemingly suck the life from the UMass upset bid.
In an attempt to give themselves more possessions, the Minutemen sped the game up with a press, but Xavier cut through and scored with ease to keep UMass at arm’s length.
A short jumper from Harris cut Xavier’s lead to five, 84-79, but only 20 seconds remained as Terrell Holloway (16 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast) and Crawford sealed the deal going 3-for-4 from the line in the final seconds.
In the first half, it looked as if Xavier might get a break for a change. After UMass took an early 13-10 advantage with 15:53 to go, the Musketeers took off an 18-0 run to take a 28-13 lead. UMass started the game hot, going toe-to-toe offensively with Xavier, but went clank city over four minutes, leading to multiple Musketeer fastbreak points.
McLean led the Musketeers on the run, scoring seven points and a pulling down a pair of boards. UMass would cut the lead to seven, 38-31, off a hoop and foul from Hashim Bailey (6 pts, 4 reb) with 3:26 to go before the break, but 10-2 Musketeer run closed out the half, 50-33.
Jason Love (15 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast) book-ended the run with a layup and a pair of free throws, while Crawford and Holloway each knocked down a triple.
Crawford led four Musketeers in double figures with a game-high 25 points. Holloway added 16, followed by 15 from Love. McLean rounded out the scoring with a double-double of 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Four Minutemen scored in double figures, led by Harris’ 24. Javorn Farrell (12 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast) notched 12, followed by Vinson 11 and 10 from Freddie Riley (10 pts, 5 reb).
UMass shot a respectable 42 percent from the field, but went just 7-for-32 from three. Xavier shot nearly 60 percent, but were just 66 percent from the free-throw line, including an uncharacteristic 3-for-8 from the charity stripe for Holloway.
The all-important road win keeps Xavier atop the Atlantic 10 standings for at least another few days.
Xavier remains on the road, but won’t have to travel far for its next stop, up I-75 to UD Arena to take on their conference rival Dayton Flyers on Saturday at noon. The Flyers (15-6, 4-3) dispatched the St. Bonaventure Bonnies, 75-58, last Saturday in Olean, NY. Xavier won the last meeting between the heated rivals, outlasting the Flyers, 78-74.