XU Hoops: Xavier Pounds Providence

Xavier avenged an earlier loss to Providence, by winning 75-61 in Rhode Island on Saturday. The Musketeers (13-13, 5-8, 126th) have won back-to-back games after besting Creighton earlier this week. Tyrique Jones had a double-double for Xavier, scoring 19 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Naji Marshall (14), Zach Hankins (13), and Quentin Goodin (13) all were in double digits. Nate Watson had 16 points for the Friars (14-12, 4-9, 111th). Xavier plays Seton Hall (15-9, 6-6, 57th) on the road Wednesday at 7 PM. TV: CBSSN Radio: 700 WLW

Tyrique Jones (0) had 19 points and 12 rebounds Saturday (The Enquirer)

Big East Standings

TEAM	CONF	GB	OVR
#13 Villanova	11-1	—	20-5
#10 Marquette	10-2	1	21-4
St. John’s	6-6	5	18-7
Seton Hall	6-6	5	15-9
Butler	6-7	5.5	15-11
Georgetown	5-7	6	15-10
DePaul	5-8	6.5	13-11
Xavier	5-8	6.5	13-13
Creighton	4-8	7	13-12
Providence	4-9	7.5	14-12

 

XU Hoops: Muskies’ Snap Losing Streak

At long last, Xavier was able to secure a victory, 64-61 OT over Creighton Wednesday night. The overtime victory snaps a six-game losing streak for Xavier (12-13, 4-8, 133rd). The Musketeers were led by Naji Marshall’s 23 points. Tyrique Jones (12) and Zach Hankins (10) also reached double digits. Martin Krampelj led the Blue Jays (12-12, 4-8, 102nd) with 18 points.  The season for Xavier has been very disappointing, but is it salvageable? At this point, X is hoping for an overall winning record. That is no guarantee in the Big East conference. The only guaranteed postseason for the Muskies’ is the conference tournament in New York City. Any hopes of playing after that, will depend on how Xavier fares in Madison Square Garden. XU will play Providence (14-11, 4-8, 98th) Saturday at 2 PM in Rhode Island. TV: FOX Radio: 700 WLW

Naji Marshall’s 23 points and clutch play helped X win (The Enquirer)

XU Hoops: Xavier Falls Flat

The Xavier Musketeers lost their sixth game in a row, Saturday night 74-62 vs. DePaul. The Musketeers (11-13, 3-8, 144th) competed for much of the game, only to go cold in last five minutes allowing the Blue Demons (13-9, 5-6, 121st) to go on a 16-0 run. Xavier was led by Naji Marshall, who scored 23 points. Paul Scruggs had 13 points and Quentin Goodin had 12. DePaul’s Max Strus scored 17. XU will still try to snap their losing streak Wednesday vs. Creighton (12-11, 4-7, 85th).  Time: 8:30 p.m. TV: CBSSN Radio: 700 WLW

Naji Marshall led all scorers with 23 points (Victores/USA Today)

 

 

XU Hoops: Muskies’ Fall to Creighton

Xavier lost another tough road game Sunday, this time at Creighton 76-54. The Musketeers (11-12, 3-7, 130th) struggled in the first half, trailing 41-26 at break. It didn’t get much better in the second half. The Blue Jays (12-9, 4-5, 63rd) cruised to a 22 point victory, led by Martin Kempelj’s 23 points. Marcus Zegarowski added 13 points for Creighton. Quentin Goodin had 13 points with seven assists, and Tyrique Jones scored 10 for XU. Xavier has lost five straight games and is in last place in the Big East. The Muskies’ will play DePaul (12-9, 4-6, 138th) Saturday at the Cintas Center. Time: 8 PM TV:  FS1 Radio: 700 WLW

Quentin Goodin (0) scored 13 points in the loss to Creighton (Brandscombe/USA Today Sports)

Big East Standings

Team                                   Conference                           GB                      Overall

Villanova	9-0	–	18-4
Marquette	8-1	1	19-3
St. John’s	4-5	5	16-6
Georgetown	4-5	5	14-8
Creighton	4-5	5	13-9
Seton Hall	4-6	5.5	13-9
DePaul	4-6	5.5	12-9
Butler	4-6	5.5	13-10
Providence	3-6	6	13-9
Xavier	3-7	6.5	11-12

XU Hoops: Musketeers Can’t Get out of Own Way

Xavier continues to stumble this season, falling to Georgetown on the road, Thursday night, 80-73. The Musketeers (11-11, 3-6, 121st) have skidded, now losing four games in a road. Georgetown (14-7, 4-4, 70th) was led by James Akinjo who scored 23 points, 10 of those coming in a late rally. Xavier’s Naji Marshall had 16 points and Paul Scruggs had 15. Quentin Goodin scored 14 off the bench. The Muskies’ simply are trying to stay at .500 or above. A first-year head coach, newer players, and an extremely difficult schedule (21st of 350) are wreaking havoc. Xavier plays Creighton (11-9, 3-5, 68th) Sunday at 1 PM. TV: Fox Sports Ohio Radio: 700 WLW.

Paul Scruggs had 15 points in the loss in Washington D.C. (Brad Mills/USA Today Sports)

XU Hoops: Muskies Continue Skid

Xavier fell to Marquette 87-82 Saturday at the Cintas Center. The Musketeers (11-10, 3-5, 105th) competed with nationally ranked Marquette (18-3, 7-1, 12th). Paul Scruggs and Tyrique Jones each had 21 points for  the Muskies’. Naji Marshall also added 16 points. The Golden Eagles were led by superstar guard Markus Howard’s 31 points. Joey and Sam Hauser had 21 and 20 points, respectively. The Musketeers are 2-5 in their last seven games. They will look to bounce back at Georgetown (13-7, 3-4, 82nd) Thursday night at 8 PM. TV: CBSSN Radio: 700 WLW.

Paul Scruggs (1, Blue) had 21 points, but that was not enough for Xavier to win (The Enquirer).

XU Hoops: Muskies’ fall to Friars

Xavier lost a tough contest Wednesday night to Providence 64-62. The Musketeers (11-9, 3-4, 101st) were led by Paul Scruggs’ 14 points. Tyrique Jones and Zach Hankins each scored 12 points. Unfortunately, the Friars (12-7, 2-4, 83rd) were led by reserve Isaiah Jackson’s 13 points, Alpha Diallo’s 11, and Nate Watson’s 11. A questionable travel call late in the game allowed Providence to essentially run out the clock. Xavier will play nationally ranked Marquette (17-3, 6-1, 11th) on Saturday at the Cintas Center. Tip-off will be at 2 PM. TV: FS1 Radio: 700 WLW

Isaiah Jackson (44) led Providence with 13 points off the bench (AP/ John Minchillo)

XU Hoops: Villanova Over Xavier 85-75

Villanova continued to dominate Xavier on the basketball court, beating Xavier 85-75 in Philadelphia. The Wildcats (14-4, 5-0, 16th) have won six straight as Phil Booth scored 22 points. Collin Gillespie has 18 points, and Eric Paschall added 17. The Musketeers were coming off of wins over Georgetown and Butler. XU (11-8, 3-3, 85th) was led Tyrique Jones’ double-double. He scored 21 points and had 12 rebounds. Naji Marshall scored 15 of his own. Villanova has won 10 out of 11 meetings over Xavier since becoming Big East companions. The Muskies’ will return home to play Providence (11-6, 1-3, 78th) Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. TV: FS1 Radio: 700 WLW

Phil Booth (5) led Villanova with 22 points in an 85-75 win over Xavier. (Charles Fox)

XU Hoops: Xavier Sneaks by Butler

Xavier was able to come back and hold on to a one point lead to win 70-69 over Butler Sunday. The Musketeers (11-7, 3-2, 74th) were led by Paul Scruggs’ 24 points and Naji Marshall’s 14. Xavier seemed to struggle throughout the game as Butler held a double-digit lead at one time before making late rally. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs (10-7, 1-3, 71st) were led by Kamar Baldwin who scored 14 points. Xavier hopes to continue its winning streak when it faces heavily-favored Villanova (13-4, 4-0, 18th) Friday at 8:30 p.m. in The Pavilion (Philadelphia). TV: FS1 Radio: 700 WLW

Xavier celebrates a one point victory over Butler Sunday afternoon (Elgazzar)

 

XU Hoops: Xavier takes down Georgetown

Xavier was able to overcome an early 17 point deficit to beat Georgetown 81-75, Wednesday night. The home victory was simply the best game of the season for the Musketeers. They improve to 10-7 (2-2) and 88th in the RealTimeRPI Power Ratings.  Meanwhile the Hoyas fell to 11-5 (1-2) and 87th in the RTR PR. The Muskies needed a quality victory and finally got one thanks to Zach Hankins and 23 points and 10 rebounds for XU. Also, Tyrique Jones had a double-double as well. His 19 points and 10 rebounds helped X maintain the lead over GU. The Musketeers will play Butler (10-6, 1-2, 53rd) at home Sunday at noon. TV: CBS Sports Network Radio: 700 WLW

Xavier celebrated an 81-75 victory over Georgetown (Elgazzar)