Freemantle, Scruggs Lead Musketeers Past Bradley on Thanksgiving

Thursday, November 26

Cincinnati, Ohio

12 p.m.

Xavier University

2-0,0-0Big East

Bradley

1-1,0-0MVC

Bradley

Xavier

Freemantle, Scruggs Lead Musketeers Past Bradley on Thanksgiving

11.26.20 | Men's Basketball

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The two players combined for 36 points on Thursday afternoon

By: Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Zach Freemantle and and Paul Scruggs combined to score 36 points on Thursday afternoon, leading the Musketeers to a 51-50 over Bradley on Thanksgiving. The Musketeers move to 2-0 on the year, while the Braves drop to 1-1.

FIRST HALF

• Xavier opened the game on a 10-2 run, fueled by Zach Freemantle who went 4-for-4 from the floor with nine points - forcing an early Bradley timeout (17:09). The Braves responded with a 12-2 run over the next 9:21 to take their first lead of the game, 14-12, with 6:59 left in the half.

• Zach Freemantle knocked down his second three pointer of the game coming out of the timeout, regaining the lead for Xavier (15-14). The two teams exchanged leads twice down the stretch with neither team leading by more than one possession. A Paul Scruggs free thow in the closing minutes gave the Musketeers a 22-20 advantage at the break.

• Zach Freemantle led the Musketeers with 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting, while Paul Scruggs added six points. Scruggs also had four assists.

• Bradley held a 24-22 advantage on the glass at the half. Nate Johnson led the Musketeers on the glass with six rebounds, while Zach Freemantle and Bryan Griffin added five rebounds.

SECOND HALF

• Xavier opened the half by going on a 9-3 run on 4-for-5 shooting, taking a 31-23 advantage and forcing a Bradley timeout (17:27). The Braves responded with a 7-0 run to get within one (31-30) at the 15:25 mark.

• Bradley pushed its lead out to three points (36-33) with 12:21 on the clock before Paul Scruggs scored seven unanswered points to regain the Xavier lead, 40-36, at the 10:09 mark. The remainder of the game had two lead changes and one tie, with neither team leading by more than two points.

• With 1:59 left in the game, Paul Scruggs hit a basket to give the Musketeers a 49-47 advantage. Bradley's Terry Nolan Jr., hit baseline three pointer with 12 seconds left on the clock to put the Braves up, 50-49. On the ensuing possession, Dwon Odom made a driving layup to give the Musketeers the go-ahead basket and make the score, 51-50.

• Terry Nolan Jr. was fouled on the final play of the game and missed the front end of a one-and-one, sealing the win for the Musketeers.

• Paul Scruggs scored 11 points in the second half, while Jason Carter pulled down eight rebounds. Xavier held a 25-16 advantage on the glass.

NOTABLES

• Zach Freemantle led the Musketeers in scoring with a game-high 19 points on 8-for-15 shooting. He knocked down three 3-pointers and added seven rebounds.

• Paul Scruggs scored 17 points on 6-for-17 shooting. He also dished out a team-high seven assists and added two steals and a rebound.

• Xavier held a 47-40 advantage on the glass, paced by Jason Carter who pulled down 11 rebounds. Bryan Griffin added rebounds.

• Both teams hit below 40 percent from the floor as the Musketeers posted a .339 clip (21-for-62), while the Braves went 21-for-63 (33.3 percent) from the floor.

HIGHLIGHTS