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Xavier Grinds Out Victory Over Miami
11/18/2011
 | | Tu Holloway dishes off a pass after colliding with a defender.[enlarge] Photo by Bob Stevens |  | | Junior Mark Lyons dives for a loose ball.[enlarge] Photo by Bob Stevens |  | | Kenny Frease jams in two of his 13 points.[enlarge] Photo by Bob Stevens |  | | Andre Walker looks for an open teammate after the defense collapses on him in the lane.[enlarge] Photo by Bob Stevens |  | | Seven foot senior Kenny Frease congratulates six foot freshman Dee Davis after Davis sparked a Xavier rally with a key three pointer and aggressive defense.[enlarge] Photo by Bob Stevens |  | | A gracious Miami Head Coach Charlie Coles congratulates Xavier Head Coach Chris Mack after the Xavier victory.[enlarge] Photo by Bob Stevens |
It wasn't easy against the Miami Redhawks. Is it ever? Last year the Muskies lost by 11 at Millett Hall in Oxford. Two years ago, with Jordan Crawford, Xavier won a nail biter in Cintas, 70-67. In 08-09, it was a 7 point game. In 07-08, Xavier lost by 2 in Oxford. Get the picture? For whatever reason, Charlie Coles has Xavier's number. He may not always beat Xavier, but everyone knows it's going to be a close game. This year's 66-60 victory in a dogfight with the Redhawks was no different.
"I have a lot of respect, it goes without saying, for their program," Coach Chris Mack said, "Past coaches here have compared playing Miami of Ohio to going to the dentist. Well, I think I'd rather go to the dentist than play Miami and Coach Coles."
Early on, Xavier was sloppy, and Miami executed perfectly. They drilled 6 of 10 three pointers and had Xavier on the run in their own building. The Muskies struggled mightily, and never seemed to be in proper position defensively. That led to the Redhawks shooting a ridiculous 52% from the field. For a defensive oriented team like Xavier, it was unacceptable.
"We tried to work the ball inside, but it just ended up outside. And you need those inside buckets that we didn't have," Miami Coach Charlie Coles said of his teams effort, "Xavier's got an All American and he's got 9 points. We shot 19 threes, look we made 8. But, I'd much rather be 12 of 24 from inside of three, than be 8 of 19 from outside."
But it was clear from the beginning that this was how the game was going to go. Miami likes to squeeze the air out of the ball and shorten the number of possessions in the game. That kept the scoring low, and kept the underdog Redhawks in the game all night long. Throw in a mostly ineffective Tu Holloway, who was scoreless in the first half, a hot and cold Kenny Frease, and Xavier looked to be in big trouble. Even Dez Wells, after a couple of quick buckets in the first few minutes, struggled for the majority of the game. Andre Walker didn't hit a shot until he tipped one in with 1:05 to go in the game.
With scoring so limited, Xavier turned to the man who has become their go to guy this year, Mark Lyons. The junior guard finished with 18 big points on 7 of 13 shooting. He looked every bit as confident as he had in the past two games and the exhibition. There isn't the hesitation that has been there in the past. Throw in a nice game from Travis Taylor with 9 points and 6 rebounds, and Kenny Frease's 13 points, and that was the majority of Xavier's offense. Holloway did manage to score 9 in the second half, but he never seemed to get his shot going, hitting just 3 of 12.
"We have great players that surround both [Tu and I]," said Mark Lyons, "So I just try to play my game. If your shots aren't falling, you've got great teammates around you to get the ball to."
Nonetheless, Holloway still found a way to impact this game with a 7:1 assist to turnover ratio. He also recorded a game high 4 steals, which proved pivotal in turning Miami over 18 times for the game, including 11 steals by the Muskies. Xavier turned up the defensive pressure and intensity in the second half, holding Miami to 33.3% shooting for the half, and just 2 threes on 9 attempts. In the end, that second half defensive effort was the difference in the game.
"Coach thought we were being soft. and we are a tough minded team," Lyons said, "So that's embarrassing to be called soft at all. It got under our skin being called soft, so we turned up the intensity."
Miami never went away, though. It wasn't until halfway into the second half that it looked like Xavier was finally able to gain control of the game. Three plays in a two minute span of the game changed a 44-41 deficit into a 48-44 lead that Xavier wouldn't relinquish. The Muskies' version of the Energizer Bunny, Dee Davis, provided energy in the second half, and got the team going. His three tied the game, while Tu's first basket of the game gave Xavier the lead. Then, Davis got a steal and the Muskies got it to Frease down low, who slammed it home, energizing the Cintas Center crowd.
It was the turning point in another dogfight of a game against Coach Coles' Miami Redhawks. And, once again, Xavier needed all of that intensity and effort it got in the second half to grind out a win. Even more telling? Last year, Xavier would lose a game like this when Holloway goes 3 for 12. This year, with Xavier's depth, they were able to get a win against a team whom they could not afford to lose to.
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