The Musketeers clinched an A-10 opener victory by dispatching Rhode Island 72-45 Sunday at the Ryan Center. They also snapped a two-game skid, increased their streak of regular-season wins over URI to 14, and held their foe to a season-low point total.
Tu Holloway scored 21 points and added seven rebounds and four assists in the rout. Jamel McLean finished with 19 points and a team-high 12 rebounds.
The Runnin’ Rams didn’t do much to stand in Xavier’s way. They mounted an early 8-0 run capped by a Nikola Malesevic long 3-pointer, which beat the shot clock, before falling hard in the ensuing six scoreless minutes.
While URI (9-6, 0-1 A-10) missed 11 straight shots, the Muskies (9-5, 1-0) mounted an 11-0 run. They broke a press designed to wear them down and crushed their foe in the paint.
McLean put on a jam session with several dunks, scored 10 first-half points and fueled XU’s 20 points in the paint by halftime. The Runnin’ Rams were held to a just two interior points in the frame.
The scouting report likely predicted the disparity. URI entered the game known for its outside shooting – and impatient outside shooting at that. The team reinforced the idea Sunday by failing to work the ball around and settling for jumpers, sometimes early in the shot clock.
They jacked up long, off-kilter 3-pointers and missed so often that their halftime mark was 7.1 percent. XU’s perimeter defense contributed to their 13 misses in 14 tries, with the lone make being Malesevic’s buzzer beater.
They finished 3-for-27 from the perimeter, despite entering the showdown with a conference-third average of eight made 3-pointers.
URI season leading scorer Delroy James, a 6-foot-8 forward, stretched Xavier’s defense and lured McLean and Jeff Robinson further than they’d been in games thus far. The XU players initially denied James – and pretty much every other Runnin’ Ram – closer looks to the basket.
The recent return of Orion Outerbridge, who missed first-semester games to focus on academics, didn’t assuage the team’s interior offensive struggles. Sunday marked the 6-foot-9 forward’s third game back in the lineup.
The XU game was also the return of bench player Jamal Wilson, who had been out with a broken foot. The junior guard returned to the Runnin’ Rams rotation in the first half and was met with applause.
But neither player could help jump-start URI’s offense. The team was held to 19 first-half points, a low in any half this season, and its 25 percent first-half shooting was its lowest since last March.
The Muskies outscored URI 10-4 to start the second half and hung on for the win.
The victory featured some if their most cohesive play since the Dec. 28 victory over Albany.
They had 13 assists on 25 baskets, effectively found post players, and dominated the boards 41-30.
While URI (9-6, 0-1 A-10) missed 11 straight shots, the Muskies (9-5, 1-0) mounted an 11-0 run. They broke a press designed to wear them down and crushed their foe in the paint.
McLean put on a jam session with several dunks, scored 10 first-half points and fueled XU’s 20 points in the paint by halftime. The Runnin’ Rams were held to a just two interior points in the frame.
The scouting report likely predicted the disparity. URI entered the game known for its outside shooting – and impatient outside shooting at that. The team reinforced the idea Sunday by failing to work the ball around and settling for jumpers, sometimes early in the shot clock.
They jacked up long, off-kilter 3-pointers and missed so often that their halftime mark was 7.1 percent. XU’s perimeter defense contributed to their 13 misses in 14 tries, with the lone make being Malesevic’s buzzer beater.
They finished 3-for-27 from the perimeter, despite entering the showdown with a conference-third average of eight made 3-pointers.
URI season leading scorer Delroy James, a 6-foot-8 forward, stretched Xavier’s defense and lured McLean and Jeff Robinson further than they’d been in games thus far. The XU players initially denied James – and pretty much every other Runnin’ Ram – closer looks to the basket.
The recent return of Orion Outerbridge, who missed first-semester games to focus on academics, didn’t assuage the team’s interior offensive struggles. Sunday marked the 6-foot-9 forward’s third game back in the lineup.
The XU game was also the return of bench player Jamal Wilson, who had been out with a broken foot. The junior guard returned to the Runnin’ Rams rotation in the first half and was met with applause.
But neither player could help jump-start URI’s offense. The team was held to 19 first-half points, a low in any half this season, and its 25 percent first-half shooting was its lowest since last March.
The Muskies outscored URI 10-4 to start the second half and hung on for the win.
The victory featured some if their most cohesive play since the Dec. 28 victory over Albany.
They had 13 assists on 25 baskets, effectively found post players, and dominated the boards 41-30.
No comments:
Post a Comment