Xavier Vanquishes Old Foe To Bounce Back From A Loss

The Detroit Mercy Titans and the Xavier Musketeers renewed an old rivalry at the Cintas Center.  Xavier prevailed in the first meeting since 2008 with a 69-55 score.

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Xavier played without starters Tyrique Jones and Naji Marshall who had injuries.   Quentin Goodin led Xavier with 22 points and  Ryan Welage scored six points on 3-pointers in two possessions to mitigate the loss.

Zach Hankins scored 12 points and pulled in 10 rebounds in place of Jones and Welage contributed 16 as Marshall's replacement.

Antoine Davis tallied 19 for Detroit.  Derrien King scored 10 for the Titans and led them with eight rebounds.


"Antoine Davis is an incredible player," Xavier coach Travis Steele said.. "There's a reason he's the second-leading scorer in the country. I thought Quentin did a tremendous job. We made him earn his points. I thought our defense in the half-court was tremendous."

The decision on Marshall came late in the day.

"Naji's back has been bothering him the last week or so. We wanted to shut him down and get him healthy," Steele said.

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The two squads paired up in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference from the 1980-81 season through the 1994-95 season when Xavier left to join the Atlantic 10.  Detroit stayed put to compete in the conference that has since changed its name to the Horizon League that has Northern Kentucky University as one of its members.


Xavier (8-5) rebounded from a 71-56 loss to Missouri on Tuesday.  Detroit Mercy (3-9) lost its fifth straight game.  Both teams go into conference play next.  Xavier opens Big East play at Depaul on next Saturday.  Detroit goes to Youngstown State next Friday.

"After the game, at Missouri, everybody's head was down," Goodin said.  "I took it upon myseylf,  Tyrique, Paul, to call a team meeting. We just let out what we were holding in. I feel after we did that, everything else just played out for itself. We started trusting each other more. We played more connected, there was more connectivity. And we had fun. I felt the last few games, we hadn't been having fun"

Xavier opened a nine point lead, 23-14 but an effective timeout by Detroit coach Mike Davis at the 7:29 mark, resulted in a 10-point run that gave the Titans a 24-23 lead with 4:36 left.  Davis and King led the comeback.

"I told them we have to find our shooters," Davis said, one of which is his son Antoine.  "Xavier did a good job of controlling the tempo.  Number 32 (Welage) made some tough shots."

Keonte Kennedy's 3-point shot gave Xavier the lead back.  Ryan Welage connected from behind the arc to help Xavier to a 32-26 lead at the half.

Reds And Dodgers Provide Change Of Scene For Troubled Veterans

The Reds traded an expensive problem with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who shed their own expensive problems.

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Cincinnati found a home for much injured veteran Homer Bailey with the Dodgers along with young prospects INF Jeter Downs and RHP Josiah Gray for LHP Alex Wood, who can fit into the Reds' starting rotation.  The Reds also took Outfielders Matt Kemp, once among the most productive hitters in the National League and outfielder Yasiel Puig, who came from Cuba as a potential superstar, who wore out his welcome with LA.  The Dodgers threw in INF/C Kyle Farmer and cash.

Bailey,32, was the Reds 1st pick in the 2004 draft. He was 67-77 in 212 appearances with the Reds.  The last four were filled with injury.   Downs, 20 was a competitive balance pick (32nd overall in the 2017 draft.  He played at Dayton last season, hitting .260 with 19 home runs and stole 46 bases.  Gray is 21 and was the Reds third pick in the competitive balance round of the 2017.  He was 2-2 with a 2.58 ERA in 12 starts at Greenville last season.

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Wood, 27, was originally a second round pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2012.  He was ninth in the 2017 Cy Young Award voting after a 16-3, 2.72 ERA, All-Star season that year.  Wood was 9-7 last season with a 3.68 ERA in 27 starts and six relief appearances.

Kemp is 34 years old with three All-Star appearances.  He hit .290 with 21 home runs and 25 doubles while driving in 85 runs last year.

Puig is 28 and hit .267 in 125 games last season with 23 home runs.  He hit .300 in the post season with two home runs and eight RBI.

Farmer, 28, was an eighth round selection in the 2015 draft.  The right handed hitter had a .235 batting average in 39 games.  Farmer caught and played firstbase in one game each and performed at thirdbase in 22 games.

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Xavier Bounces Back From Emotional Loss To Torture Eastern Kentucky

The moods couldn't have been more different when the  Eastern Kentucky Colonels visited the Cintas Center to take on the Xavier Musketeers.

Xavier was punished by its crosstown rivals from the University of Cincinnati to the tune of a dismal  62-47 loss a week ago.  Eastern Kentucky was on a high after beating in-state rival Northern Kentucky on a last second shot to beat the Norse, 76-74.  It was their second straight win by a 95-77 count.

Xavier (7-4) was gifted 11 turnovers and took advantage of sloppy ball handing by (6-5) EKU to run away with a win in spite of a record setting performance by Eastern's Nick Mayo.

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Mayo with his second 3-point shot of the game passed Matt Witt to top the Colonels all-time scoring list with 1,833 points.

"It was all about getting the win," Mayo said after the game. "I knew I was seven points away because of all the talk about it.  It is something I will look back on.. When I hit the three I knew I had it and it was time to focus on getting the win. My teammates and family and stuff talked about it.  I knew how many points I needed.  It was early in the game."

The Colonels with Nick Mayo leading the way took a 23-16 lead with 10:22 to play in the firstr but Xavier with the help of 11 Eastern Kentucky turnovers mounted a 31-10 run to lead 47-33 at the half.

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"We got up seven in the first half," EKU coach A.W. Hamilton said.  "Give Travis (Steele) credit he went to a 2-3 (zone) and it changed the game.  The whole dynamic of the game changed and we made some careless turnovers.  They came in bunches then.  I think they scored almost 30 points off our turnovers."

Eastern started by pressing the Musketeers full court and shot a whopping 38 3-point shots making 12 of them.

"They play a really unique style of basketball," Xavier coach Travis Steele said. "I told our guys heading into the game they're literally going to press from the first second of the game to the very last second of the game. It was either a turnover or a bucket for us in the second half."

Eastern, however, scored the first seven points of the second half to force Xavier coach, Travis Steele, to call an emergency time out after 1:10 was played.  The pause worked as Xavier went on an 8-0 run to re-establish the lead.

Mayo, who entered the game with a 24.4 points-per-game average, scored 25 for the Colonels.  Mayo has 20 games left to improve on his current 1,851 points.

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"I'm really focused on winning and we will see what happens the rest of the season as far as the scoring record," Mayo said.

His coach offered a look at the near future.

"NIck Mayo, I say it over and over again.  He's a superstar," Hamilton said  "He is a once in a lifetime player and person.  He's going to set the bar so high here at EKU, I don't think anyone in their wildest dreams will break his scoring record.  He's averaging 25 points a game and he's got 20 more games..  I'm so proud of him he fought like crazy.  I'm glad his family got to be here."

Freshman Jomaru Brown scored 17 and Dujuanta Weaver added 15 for the Colonels.

Six  Musketeers off set them. Quentin Goodin 16, Zach Hankins 14, Tyrique Jones 14, Paul Scruggs 14 , Naji Marshall 15 and Ryan Welage 11, scored in double figures.

Eastern Kentucky allowed over 90 points for the fifth time in 11 games. The Colonels finished with 23 turnovers but the Musketeers were charged with 27.

Reds Deal For Starting Pitcher

The Reds made a move to bolster their starting rotation at the winter meetings in Las Vegas.

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It is the tale of two Tanners.  The Reds get RHP Tanner Roark from  the Washington Nationals in exchange for Tanner Rainey, the rookie relief pitcher who worked as a closer in the Reds’ organization.

Roark, 32, has spent his entire Major League career with the Nationals, compiling a 64-54 record and 3.59 ERA over six seasons, 141 starts and 41 relief appearances. In 2018, he went 9-15 with a 4.34 ERA in 30 starts and one relief appearance and ranked 12th in the National League with 17 quality starts. He also ranked T5th in the NL with 18 GIDP induced and seventh with 11 starts of at least 7.0 innings.

Rainey made eight appearances last year for the Reds.  He pitched seven innings and had a 24.43 ERA.  He was the Reds second pick in the 2015 draft out of the University of West Alabama.  Rainey turns 26 on Christmas day.

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Musketeers Go Into Crosstown Shootout Hot After Dispatching Ohio

The Xavier Musketeers didn't take the Ohio Bobcats for granted instead they started the game with a 15-5 spurt cruised.  The Musketeers have the annual Crosstown Shootout with the Cincinnati Bearcats on Saturday.

Xavier picked up its fourth straight win over Ohio (5-2) with a 82-61 pull-away win.  Ohio trailed by just 65-60 with six minutes left but an 20-0 run put the game out of reach but lost Tyrique Jones late in the game.

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Paul Scruggs took over the game for the Musketeers, scoring 21 points to stake the Musketeers (6-3) to a 10-point lead. Scruggs, however, picked up his fourth foul at the 7:00 mark.  The Bobcats took advantage and cut the lead in half after being held scoreless for close to four minutes.

"I'm really proud of Paul Scruggs with Quentin Goodin out. He had 21 points and eight assists," Xavier coach Travis Steele said.  "We needed guys to step up.  Quentin was sick this week.  I told him I wanted him to play but I didn't want to put him in harm's way."

Scruggs didn't find out he was going to take the ball at the point until late this afternoon.

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"I knew for sure probably an hour and a half before the game started. It was like even without Q, we've got to execute plays and play good on defense," Scruggs played.
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Xavier mixed defenses that confused Ohio.

"We showed some potential," Ohio coach Saul Phillips said.  "We were right in the game when we had three consecutive turnovers against their zone.  They do a great job of creating them but I think we can do a better job of protecting the basketball.  That was really the turning point."

"From there we were playing catch up.  You're down 10 and taking quicker shots rather than moving the ball well like we were doing early in the game."

The Bobcats were beat on defense at times in the game.

"Defensively, our rotations weren't terrific," Phillips said.  "We were good for about 25 minutes.  They are battle tested.  They certainly weren't afraid of us, that's for sure."

Veterans Marshall and Jones took control of the offense and stretched the lead to 71-60 at the four minute time out.

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Ryan Welage, starting in place of the injured Quentin Goodin, connected on a 3-point shot on the first possession.   With Xavier connecting of four three's in five attempts, they opened a cushion but turned cold and threw the ball away.

By the 6:13 Ohio Jason Carter capped an 8-0 run with a layup the brought the visitors within a point.

Ohio missed on two attempts to take a lead but Elias Harden stopped the slide with a layup.

Ohio managed to take a one-point lead at the 4:00 mark with an athletic layup by Gavin  Block.  Ohio took its largest lead when Doug Taylor followed a miss by Marshall.

Marshall's first points of the game put the Musketeers within a point at 34-33.  He missed with 1.4 seconds with Xavier recovering on a team rebound but a clock malfunction was investigated.  The review gave the Bobcats the ball with a second left. Marshall scored on a short jumper and  Xavier  led by a point, 35-34 at the half.

Jones had to leave the game at the 2:11 mark. He left with 15 points and four rebounds.  Marshall scored 17 for the game. Castlin had 10.

Carter led the Bobcats with 17.

Musketeers Host Ohio

The Xavier University Musketeers will try to improve on a 5-3 record against in-state rival the Ohio Bobcats, 5-2.

Ohio comes from Athens, Ohio following consecutive wins over, Austin Peay, Iona and Marshall.

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The hosts have also posted wins in three-straight games over Illinois, Miami and Oakland.

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Sophomore Jason Carter leads the Bobcats with 19,9 points-per-game.  Teyvion Kirk is close behind with 16.3 per game.  6'9" senior Doug Taylor leads the team in rebounds with 8.3 per game.

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Xavier had six players score in double figures in the last game against Oakland.   Naji Marshall leads the Musketeers with 13.1 points-per-game.  Quentin Goodin, who has battled injuries, has 12.3 ppg.  Paul Scruggs has 11.8.  Tyrique Jones has 10.9 and off the bench, Zach Hankins has scored 10.6 per game.  Jones leads the Musketeers with 9.3 rebounds-per-game.

Goodin will not play due to injury.

Xavier holds a 20-14 lead in the all-time series.  The Musketeers defeated Ohio in the last meeting on December 10, 2008.  It was the only meeting since the 1995-96 season.

Xavier Holds Off Oakland For Third Straight Win

The Xavier Musketeers fought off a determined Oakland Golden Grizzlie squad  73-63 at the Cintas Center, notching a third straight win.

Xavier (5-3) led the Golden Grizzlies by five at half time, dodging a last minute possession by Oakland that threatened to cut the lead to three with a key offensive rebound by Xavier Hill-Mais, who had 22 points at the break.

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"We beat a good team," Xavier coach Travis Steele said.  "They are going to have a good year but without looking at the tape, I didn't see a lot of improvement from the Miami game (Wednesday night;s 82-55 win.)

A pair of Paul Scruggs layups helped push Xavier's lead to 11 but Oakland (3-5) cut the lead to three at mid half, 55-52.  A 3-pointer by Kamari Newman and a layup by Jaevin Cumberlain through an inattentive Musketeer defense cut into Xavier's healthy lead.

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"It was two teams that have a great history," Oakland coach Greg Kampe said. "They had a talented group of players that lost everyone.  We were on the same path. I thought it was a hell of a basketball game. Coach Steele did some great things.  He figured some things out. We threw some stuff at them that confused him. When it counted they made the plays they needed to make."

Paul Scruggs had three steals in the half that allowed Xavier maintain the lead.  Xavier had just three turnovers in its last game against Miami but was a little less careful with the ball on Saturday with 11 turnovers many in situations that would have let them blow the game open but Hills-Mais returned after a minute to sink another basket in the paint.

"We made a couple down the stretch that aren't talent based," Kampe said. "That's usually comes from not being there before. They were home.  They made the plays."

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A 3-point shot by Braden Morris made it a four-point game with 1:27 left. Naji Marshall responded with a 3-pointer to put the game on ice.

Six Musketeers scored in double figures. Scruugs and Ryan Castlin scored 10.  Tyrique Jones, Ryan Welage and Zach Hankins scored 11.  Marshall led the way with 14 points.  Jones was the game leader with 11 rebounds for his second straight double-double.

Hills-Mais finished with 30 points to lead all scorers and collected eight rebounds.  Norris made four of his six 3-point attempts to score 14 points for the Golden Grizzlies.

"Norris is a green light shooter.  We told our guys if you're not there when he catches to ball it is going to be a long night," Steele said.,

It was the third 30-point game for Hill-Mais despite breaking his nose in a loss to Nevade-Las Vegas on November 16.

"Hills-Mais is that good," Kampe said.. " He came in averaging 25. At Vegas and they're big and strong like Xavier, he broke his nose and only played 20 minutes.  He scored 30 in that game too.  He'd have had 50 in that game if he didn't break his nose."

Hills-Mais was a red-shit last year and didn't play.

"He is going to make us a good team,"  Kampe said. ."We red shirted him last year because the guy in front of him was a four-year all league player (Jalen Hayes).  He didn't want to be a backup for his last two years.  He wanted to be the man his last two years and he could be the man.  We had a lot of injuries last year and it hurt us not having him. Now I've got him two years. I'm glad."