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Muskies Steady the Ship!!!
By
Andy Mac Williams,
1/8/2012
Xavier didn't exactly blow Fordham out of the water Saturday afternoon in the Bronx winning 67-59 but it was progress and a road victory in conference gladly accepted. X led almost all the way and by as many as 15 in the second half. Team defense returned with a vengance.
Fordham shot less than 40% from the floor. Rams star Chris Gaston killed the Muskies with 26 points and 15 rebounds at Cintas last season in a tight 79-72 XU win but Andre Walker and company walled Gaston off inside and limited him to 10 points and 7 boards on 3-11 shooting in 38 difficult inefficient minutes this time.
Xavier killed Fordham in rebounding(44-31),outscored them from the FT line(15-13) and broke even from 3 point range with 6 makes.
Fordham had been hot with home wins over Georgia Tech and Top 25 Harvard. The Muskies seemed to play together with considerable energy and they overcame some adversity.
Veteran guards Tu Holloway and Mark Lyons flirted with foul trouble all afternoon and Brad Redford filled the void with 18 hard working heady minutes. Brad scored 8-made two 3's-canned both his free throws-shagged 4 long loose ball rebounds-drew a charge and wracked up 2 assists.
Walker played superb team basketball with 7 points,14 rebounds(5 offensive).5 assists,no turnovers and the prettiest reverse speed lay-up of the season. Dee Davis threw a long bounce pass ahead to Walker who caught the ball in full stride and just flipped it over his head. The banker fell. He was fouled-made the FT and the Muskies surged to a 47-34 lead with 14:16 left in regulation. The whole team celebrated the fast break finish and it seemed basketball was enjoyable again for them not a burden. Walker's defense on Gaston gave him a very complete 34 minutes.
Dez Wells was good again (13 points-6 rebounds) and a power alley-oop slam dunk. His minutes are rising rapidly. Mark Lyons shot it well for 20 points. Tu did not score but he connected the offense (5 assists) and didn't force what apparently wasn't there. He took only 3 shots. It's still hard to believe Holloway didn't even attempt a FT. X distained deep drives into the Fordham zone and found better ways to score.
XU really put their hooks into rebounds. Travis Taylor secured 5 boards in just 15 minutes with both hands instead of trying to flick loose balls to teammates looking for the fast break. X made it a priority to gain possession first and get it out in transition second.
The Muskies are 10-5 overall and 1-1 in the A-10 with a three game homestand commencing Wednesday against Duquesne,St Bonnies and St Joe's.
Chris Mack has knee surgery Sunday morning. He's in good hands with Dr. Bob Burger. Mack had ACL operations on both knees as an XU player. I'll never forget the first injury in the first minute of his first exhibition game as a Muskie after transferring from Evansville. This guy is resilient and determined.
Glad the Xavier administration eased up on their discipline directed at the XU student section. I agree there's no place for profane chants and throwing objects on the court but the students have predominantly been a source of X-treme energy and creativity over the years. There's nothing wrong with enthusiasm and partisanship and clever signs and costumes.
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