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Musketeers Overcome 19-Point Deficit in Improbable 'W'
By
Jay Skeldon,
12/3/2011
Unlikely. Amazing. Dramatic. Each of those words describe the Musketeer victory over Purdue on Saturday afternoon. No. 11 Xavier fought and clawed back from the dead, overcoming a 19-point deficit in the second half to defeat the visiting Boilermakers before a raucous, sold-out crowd of 10,250 at Cintas Center. Senior All-American Tu Holloway willed the team to a victory, notching 21 points including 13 in the the final 5:10 of the contest. With the win, XU remains unblemished, advancing its record to 6-0 while Purdue drops to 7-2.
Adding to the improbability of the win, Xavier played carelessly in the first half as the team racked up 18 miscues before intermission. That is more turnovers than the Muskies have recorded in a single game all season. The X-Men would finish the game with 22 turnovers, the most they have had in two seasons.
After securing the opening tip, Xavier took its first and only lead of the half as senior forward Andre Walker scored the first points of the game on a baby hook outside the lane. Then it was all Purdue as they fired off a 12-0 run to take a 14-2 lead on a layup by point guard Jackson Lewis who finished with 12 points. 6-8 Purdue forward Robbie Hummel drained five points during the stretch.
The Musketeers' scoring drought of nearly five and half minutes ended with two free throws by XU redshirt freshman Justin Martin.
Not much went Xavier's way in the first half. The miscues on offense led directly to 14 points off of turnovers by the Boildermakers. Beyond the turnovers, Xavier also had defensive lapses in which it was continually beaten off the dribble as well as on switches from picks. That translated into 18 points by PU in the paint in the first half compared to just eight for X. Xavier was able to slim the lead to 11 by half, trailing 33-22.
In the second half, the Purdue lead steadily grew from 11 points to its largest lead of 19 points as the Muskies trailed, 55-36. That run was triggered by Hummel who scored seven of his team-high 17 points in first 10 minutes of the second half.
When it appeared that the outcome of the game was likely set with Purdue comfortably ahead with a double digit lead, XU went to work as it began to chip away. The 19-point deficit become a 14-point hold as Xavier ran off a 5-0 run on a Kenny Frease dunk, made throw and a basket by Mark Lyons on the break off a steal. The lead was cut to single digits as Holloway made two free throws to cut the lead to 59-51 with 5:10 left. A bucket by Andre Walker and pair of converted baskets from the charity stripe by Frease brough the lead to five with 3:18 left.
Then it was all Holloway. The senior guard proceeded to single-handedly take over the game, draining three 3-pointers and hitting two foul shots in the matter of 1:49 of action to give X the victory. During the final 10 minutes of the game, the Musketeers went on a 30-8 run. Besides Holloway, a stepped up defensive intensity, strong rebounding, and converted free throws were the key to the game.
Holloway finished with 21 points on 5-of-9 from th field including 3-of-5 from 3-point territory. He also hit 8-of-9 from the stripe while adding four assists and four rebounds. Lyons added 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting to go along with six rebounds. Frease and Walker added 10 apiece for the X-Men.
The Musketeers return to action on Wednesday, December 7 when it heads up I-74 to Indianapolis to take on the 2011 NCAA National Championship Runner-Up, Butler Bulldogs. The game is slated for 9 p.m. at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
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