Xavier Falls to Providence Following Late Comeback

Wednesday, January 23

Cincinnati, Ohio

6:30 p.m.

Xavier University

11-9, 3-4BE

Providence

12-7, 2-4BE

Providence

Xavier

Xavier Falls to Providence Following Late Comeback

01.23.19 | Men's Basketball

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Paul Scruggs led Musketeers with 14 points in close loss to Friars at Cintas Center

By: Brandon Eckman, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – The Musketeers returned home to Cintas Center on Wednesday night, falling narrowly, 64-62, to Providence College, to move to 11-9 overall and 3-4 in BIG EAST play.. Three Musketeers scored in double figures, led by sophomore Paul Scruggs with 14 points in 37 minutes of play. Zach Hankins and Tyrique Jones both added 12 points for Xavier.

FIRST HALF

Xavier began the game with back-to-back scores from Tyrique Jones, including a lob dunk assisted by Naji Marshall. The Musketeers took an early 6-5 lead with 17:00 remaining in the half.
The Musketeers forced four Providence turnovers in the first 8:00 of the game and scored five points off Friar giveaways.
Providence answered with an 11-0 run, giving them a 27-20 lead with 4:10 remaining in the half.
Xavier ended the half with a put-back dunk from Jones, making the score 33-26 in favor of the Friars going into halftime.
Jones let the way in scoring for the Musketeers in the half with eight points on four made field goals. Jones also pulled down five rebounds for Xavier, four of which were offensive boards.
Paul Scruggs added five points for Xavier, shooting 50 percent from the floor with one assist and two steals.
Xavier shot 39 percent from the field in the half scored 16 of its 26 points in the paint.
Xavier grabbed 19 rebounds in the half, including 11 offensive rebounds resulting in four second chance points.

SECOND HALF

Xavier opened the half with strong play in the paint following consecutive scores down low by Jones and Zach Hankins, cutting the Friar lead to four points early.
The Musketeers went on a 6-2 run that gave them a 41-40 lead with 14:00 left to play in the contest. Xavier shot 64 percent from the floor in the first eight minutes of the half.
A three-point field goal from Ryan Welage and a score from Jones down low cut the Providence lead to five points with 2:10 left to play in the game.
Following a Xavier timeout, Scruggs knocked down a three-pointer with 51 seconds remaining in the game, cutting Xavier's deficit to two points.
On the following possession Providence committed an offensive foul, followed by consecutive Musketeer turnovers, forcing Xavier to foul with 13.8 seconds remaining.
After a Providence missed 1-and-1 free throw opportunity, Scruggs brought the ball down the court and took a last-second elbow jumper that was just off the mark as time expired. The Musketeers fell to the Friars, 64-62.
Scruggs led the way for the Musketeers in the second half with nine scored points with three assists and one steal.
Xavier outscored Providence 36-31 in the half and shot 14-for-24, 58 percent, from the field.

NOTABLES

Xavier shot 25-of-52, 48 percent, from the floor and scored 36 points in the paint.
Scruggs scored a team-high 14 points for the Musketeers on 5-of-11 shooting. He also grabbed two rebounds, dished out four assists and had three steals in 37 minutes of play.
Jones and Hankins both added 12 points for Xavier and combined for 10 rebounds, half of which were offensive rebounds.
Kyle Castlin pulled down a Xavier career-high 10 rebounds. Castlin also scored four points for the Musketeers and dished out two assists in 29 minutes.
Scruggs recorded his team-high 15^th double figure-scoring game of the season for Xavier.
The loss marks the first time the Musketeers have fallen to Providence at Cintas Center, with the record standing at 5-1.