Senior Paul Scruggs scored a game-high 20 points on Sunday afternoon, leading the Musketeers to their second straight win in the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout - defeating Cincinnati, 77-69, at Fifth Third Arena.
The Musketeers moved to 6-0 on the year, while the Bearcats dropped to 1-1.
FIRST HALF
• Xavier hit six of its first nine shots, taking a 16-11 lead at the 13:14 mark. Adam Kunkel capped the early run with a three pointer, his first basket in a Xavier uniform.
• Cincinnati scored four unanswered points to close within one point (16-15) at the under 12-minute media timeout (11:29). The Bearcats extended their lead to three points, 21-18, at the 9:20 mark before Zach Freemantle hit a three pointer on the next possession to tie the game at 21-21.
• Xavier used a 7-2 run to take its largest lead of the half, 28-23, at the 6:49 mark. Cincinnati battled back by scoring six straight points before Nate Johnson hit a three pointer to give Xavier a one-point lead (31-29) with 4:43 on the clock.
• The Bearcats scored six unanswered points again to take a 35-31 advantage at the 1:37 mark before the Musketeers went on their own 6-0 run, taking a 37-35 lead into the locker room. Nate Johnson capped the run with his second three pointer of the half.
• The first half was back-and-forth as it featured seven ties. Neither team lead by more than five points.
• Xavier hit 51.9 percent (14-for-27) of its shot attempts and went 5-for-13 from behind the arc. Cincinnati held a 15-14 advantage on the glass.
• Paul Scruggs led the Musketeers with 10 points on 3-for-4 shooting. He added four assists and one rebound.
• Nate Johnson added eight points, while Zach Freemantle chipped in seven points. Freemantle also led the team on the glass with five rebounds.
SECOND HALF
• Cincinnati opened the second half on a 6-0 run and lead by as many as five points (44-39) with 18:30 on the clock. Xavier responded by outscoring the Bearcats, 10-5, over the next three and half minutes - taking a 49-46 advantage. Colby Jones capped the run with his second basket of the game.
• The next eight minutes of action saw four ties and three lead changes. Tied at 56, the Bearcats used a 4-0 run to take a 60-56 advantage at the under eight-minute media timeout (7:56).
• Xavier responded with a 7-2 run capped by a Paul Scruggs layup, retaking the lead, 63-62, at the 5:34 mark. The Musketeers never relinquished the lead and extended their advantage to six points (70-64) with 1:57 left in regulation.
• Cincinnati closed within three points twice down the stretch, but Xavier pulled away for the 77-69 victory. The Musketeers were 5-for-6 from the foul line down the stretch and were 16-for-21 from the line in the half. Xavier finished the game by outscoring the Bearcats, 19-7.
• Paul Scruggs had 10 points in the half, while Zach Freemantle added nine.
NOTABLES
• Xavier has now won six of the last eight meetings with Cincinnati, including two straight.
• Paul Scruggs led three Musketeers in double figures with a game-high 20 points. The senior guard was 6-for-10 from the floor and 8-for-8 from the foul line. He added five rebounds and five assists.
• Zach Freemantle scored 16 points on 7-for-15 shooting, while grabbing a game-high nine rebounds.
• Nate Johnson had 10 points on 3-for-5 shooting to go along with two steals, three rebounds and two assists.
• Four Musketeers added six points: Dwon Odom, Jason Carter, Adam Kunkel and Bryan Griffin.
• Xavier finished the game with a .510 field-goal percentage (25-for-49) and hit 80 percent (20-for-25) of its free throws.
• Cincinnati won the battle on the glass, 34-31, and scored seven more points off of turnovers (19-6). Xavier held a 19-12 advantage in bench points.
• The game featured 17 lead changes and 11 ties
Article provided courtesy of: Xavier Musketeers Athletic Communications
