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Holloway Leads Muskies to a Must-Win
2/1/2012
In what was the ugliest win of the season, Xavier found a way to win. And it probably wasn't the kind of game they would have won a few weeks ago, or a month ago. This game involved a little luck at the end. Three George Washington Colonials (Bryan Bynes, Dwayne Smith, and Lasan Kromah) missed chances to give their team a win.
Tu Holloway didn't miss his 20+ second earlier. The Musketeers survived, 59-58, in a game that they trailed for the majority of the 40 minutes. Now, Xavier (15-7, 6-3) can breathe a sigh of relief for winning a pair of road games they absolutely could not lose. George Washington (8-14, 3-5) is left to wonder what might have been.
And with UMass falling to Rhode Island, and Dayton dropping their third straight, this time to Duquesne, Xavier sits behind only La Salle and Temple in the A10. Nonetheless, in a bunched up league, the Musketeers still have a long way to climb.
The Colonials' game plan tonight was simple. They wanted to build off the success that Dayton and SLU had against the Muskies. That involved a lot of good ball movement and chucking an inordinate amount of threes. And they did just that. Twenty-one of their 61 shots were three point attempts, and they made 10 (a 47.6% clip). So, consider that more than 50% of GWU's scoring tonight came from behind the arc.
Though it was ultimately what made this one a game, it was also what killed the Colonials.
Xavier's defense, though still lacking the necessary rotation to shut down an offense designed around the three point attack, did a good job for most of the night. They held George Washington to 36.1% shooting, as the A10's best field goal percentage defense showed up to play. Ultimately, the Colonials couldn't get a shot when they needed it the most - after Nemanja Mikic (who finished with 19 points and 5 threes) hit a three pointer with 4:28 to go, GWU didn't score another field goal for the rest of the game.
It was the execution of Xavier's defense, and the little things that made the difference down the stretch. The Muskies finally won the rebounding war, 41-36, the first time since the Duquesne game. Leading that charge was Dez Wells who hauled in 7, while Frease (6), Lyons (5), Holloway (6), Walker (6), and Taylor (5) all chipped in, too. Xavier also committed just 14 fouls, and finished with 13 assists to 10 turnovers.
More importantly, Tu Holloway came to play. He finished with 21 points on 7 of 14 shooting, including a trio of threes. The senior point guard also tallied 7 assists, as it was his night from start to finish. His jumper with 30 seconds to play was the difference in the game, as he sliced through the lane and made a difficult shot, just as so many Xavier fans are used to.
Kenny Frease finished with 10 points, as he had a slightly more productive night down low than usual. Mark Lyons had only 9 points on 4 of 13 shooting, as his struggles continue on the road trip. Leading the way off the bench was Brad Redford, who drilled a pair of three pointers, finishing with 8 for the game, as Xavier's bench outscored GWU's 13-0.
Next up, Xavier takes on the Memphis Tigers (15-7, 6-2) on the road, Saturday at noon.
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