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Lyons, Defense Batter Bonnies
1/14/2012
 | | Mark Lyons looks for an open teammate.[enlarge] Photo by Bob Stevens |  | | St. Bonaventure star Andrew Nicholson attempts to score over Dez Wells and Kenny Frease.[enlarge] Photo by Bob Stevens |  | | Tu Holloway gets tripped up as Head Coach Chris Mack looks on.[enlarge] Photo by Bob Stevens |
Victories over Duquesne and St. Bonaventure don't wipe away the pain of a poor stretch by the Musketeers, which dropped the team from it's #8 ranking. But if it's the start of a run to the conference title, things can change. It would be where everyone expected Xavier to end up, just without the speed bump in the middle.
"We were just getting back to how we used to play," said Andre Walker. "Just trying to set the tone from the beginning, instead of wading our way into the game. Really, we are just trying to be more aggressive, letting people to know we're not taking plays off and being ready to play."
Saturday's 77-64 victory over the Bonnies (9-7, 2-2) wasn't exactly flashy for Xavier (12-5, 3-1), but it was the classic Muskie, workman-like effort. It was strong defense, combined with an efficient offense that hit some big shots. The guards stepped up and controlled the game, while the team also got production from some surprising places. As a whole, it was the kind of team performance Xavier needed, and will need the rest of the season. As different players step up every night, this team will have the confidence again. And that's what it's all about. Everyone knows that Xavier has the talent to compete with anyone and everyone in the nation - the talent after the 8-0 start didn't magically vanish. The team work and effort did. Now, it's about the process of getting it back.
“They hit a little bit of road block, but to me, watching them play against Duquesne and Fordham, it looked to me like they were back,” St. Bonaventure Coach Mark Schmidt said. “Players don’t get worse. These guys are very talented. Sometimes you go through a little bit of a slump but they’re bringing it back and they’re well-coached. They’ll be there at the end.”
Mark Lyons led the team with his aggressive shooting, knocking down 4 of 7 threes, and finishing with 21 points. His counterpart, Tu Holloway, only took 7 shots the whole game, but finished with 12 points. He wasn't spectacular in any facet, but the offense still functioned at a high capacity. Andre Walker had a solid day with 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists. His experience and effort is clearly evident during every game. Walker has become the soft spoken leader of the team, the so-called 'glue' that Xavier has missed after the graduation of Jason Love.
As for those surprising contributions, Brad Redford and Jeff Robinson both had nice games. Redford drained a pair of threes and finished with 10 points. As his shooting touch slowly comes back, Mack seems to be trusting him for more and more minutes. Now, Redford has become more of a complete player, able to handle the ball, shoot, and play good defense.
“That’s the Brad I know,” said Coach Chris Mack. “He’s the best shooter I’ve ever been around and I think he’s pressing a little bit. I think he’s been pressing when he went through that streak. I’m sure his knee bothers him because of practicing every single day on an ACL. But he did a great job today. His defense and all the other things that really plagued him in his first two years have really gotten a lot better. He blocks out. He contests shots. He keeps guys in front of him for the most part. The thing that he does the best, he hasn’t done real well this year."
Robinson followed up a strong game against Duquesne with another great effort on Saturday. Thirteen points for the lengthy sophomore was huge. And he and Redford were a big part of the 29 points that Xavier got off their bench.
"He did a really good job," said Mack. "When he's on the floor, for stretches of time, he brings a tremendous offensive rebounding presence. He's hard to block out... and Inspector Gadget-like with his length."
For the day, the Muskies shot 50% in both halves, a sign of consistency that the offense has largely lacked. They also drilled 50% of their threes, and knocking down 8 is huge, especially for a team that doesn't rely on them as much. Being able to hit a big three here and there only makes the offense more dangerous. Twenty assists to 14 turnovers is also a good sign for the team's turnaround, as they struggled mightily with the ratio just a few weeks ago.
And, playing a good rebounding team in St. Bonnies, Xavier matched them all the way. Dez Wells pulled down 9 boards, even as he seemed to struggle getting into the flow of the offense for the most part. Kenny Frease was a non-factor in the first half, and rolled his ankle during the early moments of the second half. He tried to give it a go, but couldn't.
Defensively, though, Xavier was as good as it gets in the first half. They smothered the Bonnies, holding them to 28% shooting, and 39.2% for the game. They also forced 15 turnovers, which was significant in a game where there was 43 fouls called. Xavier was able to continually play aggressive and go for the ball, even with the refs calling a close game. Make no mistake, Xavier will face a lot of these games, where the refs will attempt to control the game and their aggressiveness. This time, the Muskies didn't lose their edge. They played as strong and aggressive as everyone would expect from a Xavier team.
"We still got a little ways to go, defensively, and just moving the ball more," Walker noted. "I think we're definitely getting there, but we've still got a ways to go."
Xavier looks to make it four in a row on Wednesday night at 7 PM against St. Joe's (12-6, 2-2) at the Cintas Center.
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