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kyxu
12-03-2008, 10:14 PM
Miller hits century mark as #14 Xavier ousts Auburn, 81-74
By Mike Damone

It likely would have been too much to ask had Sean Miller requested less drama from his gray-clad team en route to his 100th career win as a head coach at Xavier. The Musketeers (7-0) led the struggling Auburn Tigers (3-4) of the SEC by as many as 22 points with 11:37 left in the second half, but the Tigers on several occasions trimmed Xavier’s lead to single digits, before finally succumbing in the waning minutes of Wednesday night’s game at the Cintas Center, 81-74.

Miller and the Musketeers had been waiting to break out of an offensive slump that had seen Xavier break the 70-point mark just three times this season, while shooting below 40 percent from the field through their first six games. Offensively, Xavier got what they wanted, shooting a remarkable 53.5 percent from the field, including 56.5 percent from three, highlighted by a 7-for-9 output from long-range by senior BJ Raymond on his way to a career-high of 32 points to go along with six rebounds.

But the free-throw line continues to be one of demarcation between domination and discomfort for the Musketeers. Throughout most of the contest, the Musketeers had connected on only 50 percent of their attempts from the charity stripe, before hitting 11-for-13 to close out the game. In addition, a solid team defensive performance by the Musketeers gave way to a 41 percent shooting for the Tigers in keeping the game interesting.

And despite the absence of freshman point guard Terrell Holloway due to a foot injury, Xavier seemed to be healing their turnover woes, as they turned the ball over just a total of 20 times in their last two games against Memphis and Miami. But the turnover bug resurfaced, with the Musketeers turning the ball over a season-high 22 times against the Tigers.

A thunderous dunk from the hobbled senior Derrick Brown (12 pt, 5 reb) to give Xavier a 56-34 lead over Auburn with more than 11 minutes left in the game made it appear Miller would get a bow on his 100th career victory, in the form of a win without late-game malaise.

But a 17-4 run by the Tigers over the next four minutes – 15 of which came from Auburn guard Frankie Sullivan (23 pts, 6 steals) -- cut Xavier’s lead to single digits, 60-51, with 6:55 left in the game. Raymond knocked down a three to push Xavier back out to a 12-point lead, but Auburn wouldn’t go away.

A pair of Jason Love (6 pts, 6 reb) free throws put Xavier back up by 15, but a three-point jumper by Rasheem Barrett (7 points) and lay-in from Johnnie Lett (6 pts, 5 reb), cut Xavier’s lead to just seven with just 2:50 left, 70-63. After CJ Anderson (6 pts, 4 reb) put the Musketeers up by 11 on a pair of free throws with 1:28 left, Korvotney Barber (11 pts, 5 reb) answered almost immediately after with a jumper.

Soon after, Anderson fouled Tay Waller (10 pts) on a three-point attempt, where Waller connected on all three to cut Xavier’s lead to six, 74-68, with just under a minute left. Fortunately, Xavier found their legs at the line down the stretch, as Auburn cooled off from the field and was relegated to fouling Musketeers for their final chance. At one point in the last few minutes in the game, despite their troubles from the line on the night, Xavier connected on seven-consecutive free throws to ice the game.

There was precedent for the relentlessness Auburn exuded late in the second half. The teams remained relatively close in the first half, with Xavier never taking more than a five-point lead until Raymond put the Musketeers up eight, 26-18, with his second three just over five minutes left in the first half. A pair of free throws from sophomore Dante Jackson (13 pts, 6 ast, 9 turnovers) gave Xavier their first double-digit lead just before the end of the half. Despite a tough time at the line and from the field, freshman Kenny Frease (4 pts) finished with a game-high seven rebounds.

The biggest story of the night was Miller notching his 100th career win as head coach just seven games into his fifth season at the helm for Xavier. Miller is also third on Xavier’s all-time wins list for head coaches, behind Pete Gillen (202) and the late Skip Prosser (148). The Musketeers return to the hardwood in one week to take on the Ohio Bobcats (3-1), coached by former Xavier assistant John Groce. The Bobcats are coming off a 75-63 win over Tulsa.