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Saint Joseph's Upsets No. 8 Xavier
By
Jay Skeldon,
3/6/2008
Though the No. 8 Xavier Musketeers were favorites on paper entering Thursday evening's matchup against Saint Joseph's, the odds were certainly stacked in favor of the home-team Hawks. After all, the talented and long Saint Joseph's squad was playing on Senior Night in its final game at Alumni Fieldhouse before it undergoes major renovations. If that was not enough motivation, SJU was also playing with its postseason life on the line. In the end, the Hawks' aggressive play propelled them past Xavier, 71-66. With the loss, Xavier falls to 25-5 (13-2 A-10) and ends its 11-game winning streak. Saint Joseph's, meanwhile, improves its postseason resume and moves its record to a respectable 18-10 overall and 9-6 in the conference.
Though the Hawks led by as many as 15 points with 14 minutes left in the second half, Xavier surged back with a frenzied run in the final two minutes. X pulled within three points, 69-66, thanks to a 3-pointer by Drew Lavender with 7.1 seconds left. However, SJU's Pat Calathes was fouled and drilled two free throws to put the nail the coffin.
Derrick Brown, who played perhaps one of his most complete games as a Musketeer, led Xavier with a game-high 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Brown also added five rebounds (including 4 offensive), two steals, and played solid defense. He was the lone Muskie in double figures scoring.
Xavier preseason All-American candidate Drew Lavender continued to show progress in recovering from his sprained ankle. The senior added nine points and four assists in 29 minutes of action. In addition, Stanley Burrell (8 points), and C.J. Anderson (8 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) provided steady play.
As a team, the Musketeers and Saint Joe's shot the ball comparably and well. Xavier hit 24-of-52 from the field (46%) including 11-of-25 from long range (44%). The Hawks shot a sliver better -- 24-of-49 FG (49%) and 6-of-13 3-point field goals (46%); however, one key significant difference between the two team's stat lines was at the charity stripe. SJU converted more shots than the Musketeers attempted from the free throw line -- Saint Joe's: 17-of-20 (85%) contrasted with Xavier: 7-of-13 (54%).
Saint Joseph's was led by Calathes who scored a team-high 17 points. Juniors Tasheed Carr and Ahmad Nivins were also game changers, adding 15 and 14 points, respectively.
The Muskies return to the friendly confines of Cintas Center for its own Senior Night on Saturday, March 8. XU plays host to third place Richmond (16-12, 9-6) -- a team that features the Princeton-style offensive. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.
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