#10 Xavier maintains City Crown, scraps Bearcats, 76-66

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#10 Xavier maintains City Crown, scraps Bearcats, 76-66
by Mike Damone

For years in the annals of the Crosstown Shootout, a rivalry between two Cincinnati programs separated by about three miles, the higher-profile Cincinnati Bearcats made their mark as the aggressor, while the neophyte Musketeers made their name scraping together the occasional upset while having brief spats of success throughout the rivalry’s history.
Whether it was a slow, steady process or one of sudden realization, on Saturday night at Fifth Third Arena on the campus of the University of Cincinnati, the roles reversed. The #10 Xavier Musketeers (9-0) controlled the glass, applied the defensive pressure forcing the Bearcats into 36.2 percent shooting and 18 turnovers, dictated the tempo...and flexed a little muscle while doing so in a 76-66 win over their crosstown rival Bearcats (6-2) – the first victory for the visiting team in this series since Xavier won 50-44 on December 7, 2002.
In a game many thought had lost its luster in the southwestern corner of the state, it was appropriate that a trio of Ohio boys provided the difference for the victors. Senior CJ Anderson (Cincinnati Winton Woods, 17 pts, 11 reb) and junior Derrick Brown (Dayton Chaminade-Julienne, 20 pts, 10 reb) both contributed double-doubles for the Musketeers while sophomore Dante Jackson (Greenfield McClain) poured in a career-high 15 points.
But it wasn’t simply scoring that allowed Xavier to have its way with their intra-city counterparts. It was vital for Xavier to limit the Bearcats’ impact on the offensive glass – UC came into the game as one of the best teams in the nation on second-chance points – and the Musketeers did just that, pulling in 11 offensive rebounds to UC’s three in the opening half. For the game, Xavier pulled in 38 rebounds to UC’s 31.
The Bearcats tried to get early momentum going when super-frosh Yancy Gates (2 pts, 5 reb) put in the opening tally for the Bearcats, 2-0, to start the game, but Xavier’s tough halfcourt defense helped to squelch any such bid early. UC would go 0-for-6 over the next seven minutes, allowing Xavier to stake an early double-digit lead.
Anderson got the unanswered scoring started for the Musketeers with a kiss off the glass in traffic, followed by a long three from Jackson, another three from freshman Terrell Holloway (7 points), a jam by freshman Kenny Frease (4 points) off a feed from Holloway, a short jumper by Brown and a free throw by junior Jason Love (7 pts, 6 reb, 4 blocks) quieted the home crowd early in giving Xavier a 14-2 lead.
The Bearcats got the Xavier lead down to just five, 24-19, with just over six minutes left in the opening half, before the Musketeers when on an 8-0 run off back-to-back three-pointers from Jackson and a short jumper by Brown. A pair of Anderson free throws pushed Xavier’s lead to 17, 39-22, with 1:11 left in the half, before Bearcat Deonta Vaughn (27 pts, 4 ast) splashed a three to provide the halftime margin, 39-25 Xavier.
Xavier opened the second half maintaining the Bearcats at arm’s length, thanks to a 30-foot heave from BJ Raymond (3 pts, 6 reb) with the shot clock winding down, a spot-up three from Brown, some interior mastery by Anderson and a pair of free throws from junior Love, putting the score at 49-32 for Xavier with just under 17 minutes left.
UC’s Vaughn then went off, scoring eight as part of a 10-0 Bearcat run that cut Xavier’s lead to seven. A tip-in by love pushed Xavier’s lead back out to double-digits, 55-44, with 12:33 remaining, but a 12-4 UC run, thanks to seven from reserve Steve Toyloy (11 pts, 4 reb), brought the Bearcats to within three, 59-56, with 8:33 left.
At this point, the Xavier defense tightened, not allowing the Bearcats to score for the next two-and-a-half minutes while Xavier pushed its lead back out to seven with a pair of free throws from Brown and a driving lay-up from Anderson. A short jumper from Rashad Bishop (4 pts, 9 reb) would cut the lead back to five, 63-58.
But the Xavier defense delivered yet again. With the Bearcats threatening to cut the lead to three, Vaughn was driving for what appeared to be an uncontested lay-up, when sophomore Jamel McLean (1 pt, 1 reb, 1 block) came from nowhere to swat Vaughn’s attempt hard off the backboard. And with Xavier leading 64-58, Gates went up for a short jumper that was swatted forcefully by Love.
Xavier would make the most of these opportunities. Brown nabbed two backcourt steals on consecutive possessions from the Bearcats, where he would get fouled on the ensuing breakaways and cash in from the line. Another driving lay-in through the UC defense from Anderson put Xavier’s lead back at 12, 70-58, with 1:46 remaining.
UC had effectively run out of gas, while the Musketeers hit six free throws in succession to ice the game, giving Xavier its first win at Fifth Third Arena since David West went off for 23 in the December 2002 win against the Bearcats. It was also Xavier’s first time winning its first away game since defeating the Miami Redhawks, 75-65, on December 11, 2005. Xavier also rediscovered their composure from the line that had allowed them to win so many difficult road games last year, as the Musketeers shot a season-best 80 percent from the stripe against the Bearcats.
The underlying story of the game was the chippiness of both teams throughout the contest – laying waste to the notion that this game had lost its appeal for both teams. Gates and Frease picked up early double-technical fouls during a dead ball when each intentionally bumped each other and had words. With 1:11 to go in the first half, Anderson was on his way to a breakaway score before UC’s Larry Davis committed an aggressive foul that caused tempers to flare and Anderson to get in Davis’ face, prompting a quick whistle for a “T” against Anderson.
In the second half, another aggressive foul from UC prompted Brown to toss the ball at the UC player and talk a little trash that brought a “T” for Brown. Later that half, as UC was making a vigorous comeback, Bishop had words for Jackson that earned the Bearcats their second technical foul. And finally, with Xavier leading by 10 with just 1:20 left, as Brown was fouled while pulling down an defensive rebound, he felt Darnell Wilks (2 pts, 2 reb) had initiated a little too much contact, letting him know it and drawing his second technical for the game, prompting Brown's ejection.
Though it’s difficult to believe Xavier head coach Sean Miller was pleased with the technical fouls, as some came at less-than-opportune moments in the game as Xavier was trying to finally bury the Bearcats, it was evident Xavier was exuding the attitude that it wouldn’t back down, nor be intimidated.
Such intensity will be welcomed, but must be properly channeled as Xavier faces a more disciplined, reputable opponent in the #7 Duke Blue Devils in East Rutherford, New Jersey next Saturday. The Blue Devils (8-1) are coming off their first loss of the season – an 81-73 loss to the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor. This will be the first contest between Duke and Xavier since the Blue Devils knocked off the Musketeers, 66-63, in the 2004 NCAA Elite Eight. The Musketeers have yet to defeat the Blue Devils in the schools' only three meetings.