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  • Xavier Men's Basketball Opens Big East Play at 1-0 After Defeating Georgetown, 102-89

Xavier Men's Basketball Opens Big East Play at 1-0 After Defeating Georgetown, 102-89

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Basketball

Xavier men's basketball opened the BIG EAST schedule with an offensive display, topping Georgetown 102-89 in Capital One Arena to move to 9-3 on the season and 1-0 in BIG EAST play.

Souley Boum led five Musketeers in double figures with a season-high 28 points.

Xavier led early, going ahead by as many as eight in the first four minutes of the game before the Hoyas erased the lead and moved in front, 19-17, with 10 minutes to go before halftime. Xavier responded with an 8-0 run to move back in front for good, but GU kept within it a two-possession game until the final minutes of the first half, when Xavier stretched the lead to as many as nine before going into the break up 43-38. Zach Freemantle led the way for the Musketeers in the first half with 11 points.

The Hoyas would get as close as one, 47-46 in the opening minutes of the second half, but the Musketeers would stretch the lead out to as many as 13 in the first 10 minutes of the second half, leading 72-58 with 12 minutes to play.

Foul trouble for the Musketeers helped the Hoyas chip away at the lead, getting as close as four, 77-73 in the final 10 minutes of the game. Xavier's three point shooting, connecting on nearly 70 percent from three in the second half, helped the Musketeers pull away late, leading by as many as 15, 94-79, before winning by a final score of 102-89.
 
NOTABLES

  • Souley Boum set a new season high, scoring a game-high 28 points, going 8-of-10 from the floor after halftime for 20 second-half points. Boum connected on a season-high six threes, shooting over 66 percent from behind the arc. He also finished with seven boards, seven assists and four steals. 
  • Jack Nunge had 11 second-half points to finish with 18 points and 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.
  • Zach Freemantle finished with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor after leading Xavier in the first with 11 points.
  • Adam Kunkel added 15 points for Xavier, connecting on 5-of-7 three pointers.
  • Colby Jones added 12 points for the Musketeers and led Xavier with eight assists.
  • The Musketeers shot nearly 70 percent from three in the second half, going 9-of-13 from behind the arc after halftime. For the game, Xavier shot 53.8 percent from three, hitting a season-high 14 three-pointers.
  • Xavier shot 60 percent from the floor for the game after shooting 68.6 percent in the second half.
  • Xavier's 102 points were the most for the Musketeers since scoring 102 in the NCAA First Round match-up with Texas Southern in 2018. 

UP NEXT

 The Musketeers open the home portion of the BIG EAST schedule, hosting Seton Hall on Tuesday, December 20. Xavier is set for an 8:30 p.m. tip with the Pirates on FS1.