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X-Men Slip Past SLU on Brown Tip-In
By
Jay Skeldon,
2/7/2008
Derrick Brown's tip-in with 0.1 seconds left propelled the Musketeers to a 70-68 win over Saint Louis in the Gateway City on Thursday night. No. 13 Xavier, which had led by as many as 16 points in the second half, was able to hold on for the victory despite a one-man offensive barrage from Billiken guard Kevin Lisch. In the final minute of the game, Lisch scored 12 of his game-high 25 points on three 3-pointers along with an old fashioned three point play. Josh Duncan led all Muskie scorers with 15 points as X improved to 19-4 overall and 7-1 in the Atlantic 10. Saint Louis, meanwhile, falls to 12-10 (3-5 A-10).
Though the Muskies did not play a perfect game and failed to hold onto their sizeable lead in the second half, they did exhibit a gritty resolve in a hostile road environment at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis before a crowd of 10,823. The X-Men have now won five straight and maintain its first place standing in the Atlantic 10.
In addition to Duncan's efforts, senior Drew Lavender contributed fine play at the point guard, adding 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting, along with four rebounds, and two assists. Brown, who pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, and senior Stanley Burrell added 12 points apiece. C.J. Anderson rounded out the double-digit scorers for XU.
As a team, Xaver shot 47.2% from the field including 46.2% from behind the 3-point arc. The Musketeers came through in the clutch at the free throw line, drilling 14-of-17 foul shots for 82.4%. The good guys also outrebounded Saint Louis by a 35-29 margin. Both teams turned the ball over nine times.
Xavier will take the close win and head back to Cincinnati as soon as it can get out of town. Next up for the Muskies is surging Saint Joseph's. Though the Hawks lost its most recent game on the road at Duquesne, they have won 11 of its last 13 games including wins over Massachusetts, Temple, and Villanova. Game time is set for Noon on Sunday, February 10 at Cintas Center.
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