Men's Basketball Falls to No. 8 Duke in Phil Knight Legacy Semifinal

Friday, November 25

Portland, Ore.

3:30 p.m. ET

Xavier University

4-2,0-0Big East

No. 8 Duke

6-1,0-0ACC

Duke

Xavier

Men's Basketball Falls to No. 8 Duke in Phil Knight Legacy Semifinal

11.25.22 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photos Box Score

Musketeers fall 71-64, will play third-place game on Sunday at 7:30 PM ET

By: Xavier Athletic Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. - Souley Boum led all scorers, including three Musketeers in double figures, but Xavier men's basketball fell, 71-64, to No. 8 Duke in the Phil Knight Legacy Semifinals on Friday afternoon at Portland's Moda Center.

The Blue Devils lead by as many as seven early in the first half before Xavier out-scored Duke 16-5 over a four minute stretch to move in front, leading by as many as four. Back-to-back Duke threes started a 15-2 Duke run to put the Blue Devils ahead for good, taking a 40-34 lead into halftime.

A 9-2 Duke run to open the second half gave the Blue Devils their largest lead of the game at 13. Xavier would pull within three multiple times in the second half, but were unable to move in front, falling by a final score of 71-64 to move to 4-2 on the season.

The Musketeers will now play in the third-place game at the Chiles Center in Portland, Ore., set for a 7:30 p.m. start on Sunday against the lose of Friday evening's game between Gonzaga and Purdue. Duke moved to 6-1 on the season and advances to the championship game of the Phil Knight Legacy on Sunday.

NOTABLES

Souley Boum led all scorers with 23 points scored after leading the Musketeers with 11 first half points, adding a team-high 12 after the break. Boum was 12-12 from the free throw line and 5-of-8 from the floor. His 23 points match his season high and mark his third 20-poing game of the season.
Adam Kunkel had 12 points after scoring eight in the second half, shooting 3-of-4 from the floor after halftime.
Colby Jones added 10 for the Musketeers and led Xavier in rebounds (7) and assists (4).
Duke finished with a 33-32 advantage on the boards overall. Jones' seven rebounds where a game-high, and Jack Nunge and Zach Freemantle each grabbed five.
Xavier had a 10-9 advantage on the offensive glass, but trailed Duke 12-4 on second chance points.
Xavier limited the Blue Devils to just five made threes, including just one in the second half, but Duke finished with a 34-24 advantage on points in the paint.

UP NEXT

Xavier plays the loser of tonight's Gonzaga/Purdue game in the third-place game of the Phil Knight Legacy Tournament on Sunday, Nov. 27 at 7:30 p.m. ET at the Chiles Center. The game will be aired nationally on ESPN.