Macura, No. 6/5 Musketeers Upend DePaul in BIG EAST Action

Saturday, December 30

Cincinnati, Ohio

2 p.m.

Xavier University

DePaul

Macura, No. 6/5 Musketeers Upend DePaul in BIG EAST Action

12.30.17 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Season Stats (PDF)Photos Postgame Notes (PDF)

Xavier defeated the Blue Demons, 77-72, on Saturday afternoon

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – Senior guard J.P. Macura engineered a second-half comeback as the No. 6/5 Musketeers defeated DePaul, 77-72, on Saturday afternoon at Cintas Center.

Xavier won its ninth straight game, improving to 14-1 (2-0 BIG EAST) on the year. The Musketeers have now won seven straight in the series with the Blue Demons and 10 of the last 11 meetings. DePaul dropped to 7-7 (0-2 BIG EAST) following the loss.

FIRST HALF

• The opening half had five ties and eight lead changes with neither team leading by more than four points until the closing minutes of the stanza. With Xavier leading 29-28 at the 4:35 mark, the Blue Demons used a 9-0 run to take an eight-point advantage (37-29). DePaul maintained its lead for the remainder of the half, taking a 39-31 advantage into the locker room.

• The Musketeers were limited to a .281 field-goal percentage (9-for-32) in the first half, while the Blue Demons knocked down 45.7 percent of their shot attempts (16-for-35). DePaul held a 14-4 advantage in points off of turnovers and had a 13-5 advantage in fastbreak points.

• J.P. Macura scored Xavier's first five points of the half, finishing the period with 11 points. The senior guard was 6-for-6 from the foul line. Xavier went 10-for-10 from the foul line in the half.

• Kaiser Gates and Trevon Bluiett both scored five points and grabbed four rebounds. Xavier held a 25-19 advantage on the glass at the break.

SECOND HALF

• Xavier turned around its cold shooting by hitting 61.1 percent of its shot attempts (11-for-18) to open the second half, outscoring DePaul, 29-21, to tie the game at 60 with 8:19 on the clock.

• DePaul would regain the lead, 63-60, on a Max Strus layup at the 7:55 mark. Xavier responded by using a 6-1 run capped by a Kerem Kanter layup to regain a lead the Musketeers would never relinquish.

• Xavier went 7-for-13 from the floor in the closing five and a half minutes, while limiting DePaul to only two field goals (2-for-10). The Musketeers scored five unanswered points to end the game with a pair of Trevon Bluiett free throws in the closing seconds to seal the win.

NOTABLES

• J.P. Macura led four Xavier players in double figures with 10 points on 5-for-11 shooting. The senior guard added a team-high five assists, while pulling down six rebounds. He also had a team-high four steals as the Musketeers finished the game with a season-high 13 steals.

• Defensively, the Musketeers forced the Blue Demons into a season-high 23 turnovers. Xavier converted the miscues into 23 points.

• Trevon Bluiett finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. The senior was also 6-for-6 from the foul line.

• Quentin Goodin added 12 points - including 10 in the second half – on 5-for-11 shooting. The sophomore guard added four assists and four rebounds.

• Kerem Kanter chipped in 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting in 16 minutes of action off the bench. He added six rebounds and three assists.

• Xavier also held a 41-40 advantage on the glass. The Musketeers also posted a 38-17 advantage in bench points.

• Xavier moved to 12-9 in the all-time series with DePaul.

UP NEXT

• Xavier continues its BIG EAST homestand on Tuesday, Jan. 2 against Butler. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. with the game being aired nationally on FS1.

HIGHLIGHTS