No. 15/14 Xavier Cools Off After Hot-Shooting Start, Falls on Road at No. 3 Villanova

Tuesday, January 10

Villanova, Pa.

7 p.m.

Xavier University

(13-3, 3-1BE)

Villanova

(16-1, 4-1BE)

Xavier

Villanova

No. 15/14 Xavier Cools Off After Hot-Shooting Start, Falls on Road at No. 3 Villanova

01.10.17 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Season Stats (PDF)

Three Musketeers hit double figures, led by 11 for Sumner

By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

VILLANOVA, Pa. – After a hot-shooting start, the No. 15/14 Xavier Musketeers cooled off against No. 3 Villanova, falling 79-54 against the Wildcats on Tuesday evening. Three Musketeers hit double figures as Xavier moved to 13-3 overall and 3-1 in BIG EAST play.

NOTABLE

Edmond Sumner finished with a team-high 11 points after leading the team with seven points in the second half.

J.P. Macura and Trevon Bluiett each added 10 points for the Musketeers.

After hitting 8-of-13 on field goals to open the game, Xavier finished shooting just under 30 percent from the floor for the game.

Xavier out-rebounded the Wildcats 34-33 led by six boards each for Sean O'Mara and RaShid Gaston.

The Musketeers grabbed 12 offensive board to three for VU to outscore the Wildcats 14-2 on second chance points.

Myles Davis appeared in a game for the first time in the 2016-17 season, playing 13 minutes off the bench.

Xavier went 14 of 17 from the line, hitting on just over 82 percent, the best single game free throw shooting percentage since hitting 84 percent in the season opener against Lehigh.

FIRST HALF

Xavier jumped out to a 7-2 lead to open the game, holding the Wildcats without a field goal for nearly four minutes.

Xavier hit over 60 percent from the field in the first 10 minutes of the game, including hitting five of its first 10 looks from outside to lead by as many as six in the early going of the game.

The Musketeers led by as many as eight in the first half, holding a 24-18 advantage at the 6:30 mark.

Xavier held the advantage until the final three minutes of the first half, when VU took its first lead of its game, going ahead by as many as six in the final minute to send the Musketeers into halftime down, 34-28.

Bluiett led the Musketeers with eight points in the first half. After the hot-shooting start the Musketeers finished the half hitting 32 percent from the floor.

The Musketeers committed seven turnovers to four for the Wildcats, but VU turned those miscues into 11 points, to just two points off turnovers for Xavier.

Xavier owned a 20-16 advantage on the boards in the first 20 minutes, led by four for Sumner.

SECOND HALF

The Wildcats opened the second by continuing its run from the first half, scoring eight unanswered to lead 39-28 a minute into the second half.

Xavier would cut the lead down to nine on two occasions but the Wildcats steadily built its advantage on 68 percent shooting in the second half.

VU led by as many as 29 points before winning 79-54.

Sumner led Xavier with seven second-half points.

O'Mara scored four of his six points in the second 20 minutes, hitting 2-of-2 from the floor after grabbing three of Xavier's seven offensive boards as the Musketeers battled to get back in the game. XU had 10 second chance points for the half.

UP NEXT

The Musketeers stay on the road for another Top-15 match-up, traveling to Indianapolis to face the No. 12/13 Butler Bulldogs on Saturday, Jan. 14. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. on FS1.