Xavier Dreams Of Upset Of Number 12 Marquette Vanish Near Dawn

Marcus Howard rudely wakened the Xavier Musketeers from dreams of an upset of the 12th ranked Marquette Golden Eagles.  The Golden Eagles turned the dream into a nightmare with a 87-82 win.

An inspired Xavier team stormed out from halftime and took an 11-point lead but Marquette behind Marcus Howard with his 31 points stormed right back.  They went on a 6-0 run to make the deficit manageable.  Sam Hauser, who scored 20, buried a long 3-point shot to snatch the lead at 71-69 with 3:46 left in the game.

Tyrique Jones with 21 points and 10 rebounds kept the Musketeers in the game before Sam Hauser and his brother Joey Hauser, 21 points combined on nine 3-pointers in 16 attempts.  Xavier couldn't find an answer.

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Paul Scruggs scored 21 points in a losing effort.

"I just think we were more focused," Scruggs said.  "A big part of it is hollding each other accountable."

Xavier (11-10, 3-5) cut its turnovers in half but Marquette (18-3, 7-1) shot 56 percent from three-point range (14-25).  Xavier shot the ball well, 29-for-58 (50%), including 8-for-18 from three-point range (44.4).

"Give a lot of credit to Marquette, but today I feel we played really well," said Quentin Goodin (10 points), who has missed time with an injured knee. I felt we played soem of our best ball. They hit some wild shots. The basketball gods gave them what we call some lucky baskets, but I felt we played good."

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Some will blame Xavier's defense for the prolific scoring from Marquette but Xavier coach Travis Steele isn't one of them.

"They made a ton of shots," Steele said. "We just wanted to make them earn their shots, which I thought for the most part we did. But they're terrific players."

And Xavier's offense was really good.

"I thought it as one of our better games offensively, for sure," Steele said. "I think the stats will agree with that. I thought for most part, we got  the ball where we wanted whether be it drives or post-ups .I thought overall our offense was really good. Obviously Marquette made some tough shots."

Howard was too much down the stretch.  The Big East scoring leader had 12 points when Xavier was up by 11 at the 14:11 mark.  Howard scored 19 points the rest of the way to lead his squad.

It is Marquettes best 21-game start since 2008-2009 when is was 18-2 after 20 games.

"We've been used to being in games like that where we take teams best punches," Howard said.  "Our response has been really good in those.  If we can take that on the road, I think we're a tough team to beat.  Today, our team showed resilience and I'm proud of my team."

Matt Welage stopped an 0-for-6 shooting drought with a 3-point shot in the last two minutes and Goodin made one of two free throws to bring Xavier to a 39-39 tie at halftime.

Xavier lost for the third straight time.  Marquette is on a seven-game Big East winning streak.

Marquette took a 51-24 lead in the all-time series that is 50 years old.  Marquette dominated the Musketeers when Al McQuire and Hank Raymonds coached the Warriors as they were known then.  Xavier, however, has posted a 9-5 record over the Golden Eagles, since the Big East was formed.

"In my three years this is the best start we've had,  I think it has to do with guys having experience, myself, Sam (Hauser), Matt (Heldt)," Howard said. "Our core leadership group has experience playing. I feel like with our experience, we can lead the younger guys.  That is where our success has been."

Xavier will play at Georgetown, a team that had them down by 17 at one point.  On the road, the Hoyas pose another threat.

"I told them I was proud of their effort," said Steele to his team. "I thought our guys had good energy in practice both days. I thought we got better in the last couple days, and that's got to continue. There's a lot of season left, a lot of potential quality wins left."

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Xavier Hosts 12th Ranked Marquette

 The Xavier Musketeers have a challenge against the Marquette Golden Eagles (formerly known as Warriors) at the Cintas center.

The struggling Musketeers, (11-9, 3-4) must stop the six-game winning streak from Marquette that started with a win over Xavier on January 8.

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Marquette (17-3, 6-1) is behind Villanova in the Big East standings with its lone loss to St. John's University.

The Golden Eagles are led by the Marcus Howard, who averages 24.3 points-per-game to lead the Big East.  He also ranks in the top 10 with 4.4 assists per game (4th), free throw percentage .912 (1st), 3-point field goal percentage .434 (9th) and 3-point field goal 3.6 (1st).

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br /> Xavier hopes to improve on its performance from Wednesday night, when they dropped a two-point verdict to Providence, largely due to 18 turnovers.

The Musketeers have point guard Quentin Goodin back from a knee injury.  Goodin committed six of the turnovers.

Naji Marshall 13.1 points-per-game and Paul Scruggs, who took over the point for Goodin, has 13 points-per-game.  The Musketeers continue to pair big men, Tyrique Jones and Zach Hankins in the starting lineup.

Xavier's Comeback Falls Short Against Providence

The Xavier Musketeers have made a habit of coming from behind in its Big East games this season.  This time the Providence Friars extended a halftime lead and held on for a 64-62 win at the Cintas Center.

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Nate Watson made two key free throws with 1:37 left to put Xavier in a sinkhole that spoiled their attempt to pull of its third Big East comeback win.  The Musketeers erased a 17-point deficit against Georgetown and an 11-point disadvantage against Butler.

Paul Scruggs 3-pointer gave the home fans hope with 53 seconds left and an offensive foul by Makai Ashford-Langford excited the crowd, but Alpha Diallo stole the ball from Naji Marshall with 20 seconds left.  Tyrique Jones stole an inbounds pass but traveled on his way to tie the game.

Diallo missed a one and one but Scruggs couldn't connect on a 3-pointer as time expired.

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"I'm disappointed in our team. We had 18 turnovers.  That's unacceptable," Xavier coach Travis Steele said.  "It wasn't the last four minutes that hurt us it was the other 36."

Providence won for the third straight time in the series, including a 75-72 overtime win in the Big East tournament semi-finals.  It was the first win ever for Providence tis is the only place weve never won. It was a good team win.  We were gritty tonight. They do a great job here.  The way they play in this building.  I have all the respect in the world for these fans here.  They are very passionate here."

Xavier went cold and committed five turnovers,allowing Providence to go on an 11-0 run to take command of the first half.  By the time Tyrique Jones broke the streak with a dunk at the 2:36 mark, Xavier trailed by seven.  The Friars led 33-26 at halftime.

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Quentin Goodin played 24 minutes against Providence.  He had been nursing a sore knee for weeks.

"I don't think he had the explosive first step that he usually has," Cooley said.

Steele didn't use it as an excuse.

"He's fine.  He just has to play better," Steele said.  Goodin had six of the Musketeers 18 turnovers.  "We don't make excuses here."

Isaiah Jackson came off the bench to score a team-high 13 points for Providence (12-7, 2-4).  Nate Watson had 11 points.  Alpha Diallo had 11 points and six rebounds tied with Watson for the team lead.  Diallo led the Big East in rebounding with 8.6 per game coming into the game.

Paul Scruggs led Xavier (11-9, 3-4) with 14 points.  Jones and Zach Hankins scored 12 points apiece.  Kyle Castlin had four points but pulled in a game-high 10 rebounds to establish a career high.

Marty Brennaman Announces Retirement

Marty Brennaman will drop his mic after the final out of the 2019 Cincinnati Reds baseball season.

The 76-year old, a member of Baseball's Hall of Fame, will complete his 46th season in the Reds' broadcast booth.

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Franchester Martin Brennaman, was born in Portsmouth, Virginia on July 28, 1942.  He attended Randolph-Macon College and graduated from the University of North Carolina with a degree in Communications in 1965.

Brennaman got his first job at WGHP-TV in High Point, North Carolina.  He moved on to work in Salisbury, NC and Norfolk, Virginia, calling games for the Virginia Squires of the American Basketball Association, whose star was Julius Erving.  He was the first broadcaster at Virginia Tech University to call both football and basketball.

In 1971, Brennaman broke into baseball with the Tidewater Tides, a New York Mets farm team.

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He joined Joe Nuxhall in the broadcast booth at Riverfront Stadium replacing Al Michaels, who moved on to national prominence broadcasting Major League Baseball and National Football League games.

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Always outspoken and known for "telling it like it is," Brennaman took pride in giving the Reds' fans an honest assessment of the game, often having run ins with Reds' management, players and MLB itself for critical comments when he felt them warranted.

Brennaman was called into Baseball Commissioner Bart Giamatti's office accused of inciting Reds' fans the night that manager Pete Rose shoved umpire Dave Pallone.

"I will miss the people," Brennaman said while announcing his retirement. "I've been thinking about it a long time.  I have my health and there are things I've wanted to do while I still have it.  I want to do some things, I couldn't do during the baseball season.  I know it will hit me full force next spring when everybody will be getting ready to go to spring training and I won to go to spring training and I won't be included."

Brennaman will still be affiliated with the Reds.

Xavier Comes From Behind For Second Straight Game To Best Butler

Naji Marshall made one of two free throws with three seconds left but it was enough to allow the Xavier Musketeers to escape with a 70-69 win over the Butler Bulldogs.

Kamar Baldwin continued his mastery of the Musketeers with 18 points. In six career games against the Musketeers, Baldwin has averaged 18 points-per-game.  It wasn’t enough as his last attempt was short at the buzzer.

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Paul Scruggs put on a show for friends and family watching his Xavier Musketeers battle his hometown Butler Bulldogs at the snowed in Cintas Center. Scruggs, who was a 2016 candidate for Indiana Mr. Basketball at Southport High in Indianapolis, scored 23 points to lead the Musketeers. It is one short of his career-high.

It enabled the Musketeers to pull off a comeback win for the second time this week.  Xavier trailed Georgetown by 17 points but turned the game around on Wednesday for an 81-75 win.

"I'm proud of our guys fight," Xavier head coach Travis Steele said. "It start with belief.  I looked around in the huddle at the end of the game. When you get down by 10 points at the last media time out, I look around and I still felt like our guys believed.  You could tell in Paul Scruggs eyes, Naji Marshall's eyes, Tyrque Jones, who at the time had four fouls.  When we hit adversity, I really, really, really like the fight our team has.  We've done this a few times this year."

Xavier erased three 10-point deficits throughout the game.

Scruggs had to take the place of the injured Quentin Goodin who is still day-to-day with a sore knee. He played all 40 minutes.

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"Paul has been keeping us together with Q out.  We have a lot of confidence in him," teammate Naji Marshall said.

"When you go from off the ball to on the ball, just being able to get the team in whatever we need them to be is big," Steele said.  "He has the ball a lot.  When you're dealing with a guy like Aaron Thompson, trying to pressure you, it is hard.  He's done a great job.  He had just two turnovers."

Scruggs led the Musketeers in scoring (23), rebounds (8) and assists (6).

The midwest rivals traded runs throughout the game. Butler used a 14-3 run over the last 3:27 to take a 31-26 halftime lead.

Butler scored the built an 11-point lead until Xavier head coach Travis Steele drew a technical foul at the 15:52 mark.  Xavier shaved seven points off the lead but went cold again as Butler rebuilt a 10-point lead.

Xavier made another run.Leading 66-64, Joey Brunk missed two free throws.  Then fouled Naji Marshall at the other end.  Marshall made both free throws to tie the game with 1:27 to go.

Baldwin was fouled by connecting on a jump shot to put Butler up by three but Scruggs assisted on Kyle Castlin's 3-pointer that tied the game again with 53 seconds.

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"We missed a couple of offensive rebounds at the end.  Castlin made a big shot which he's capable of but we really didn't expect that.  I wish we had a couple plays back but we played pretty well," Butler's Paul Jorgensen said.

Butler has lost two consecutive road games by one point.  Seton Hall beat them 76-75 on Wednesday.

"It is a tough one to swallow," second-year Butler coach LaVall Jordan said.  "When your guys play with that much spirit and that much energy and don't come out with a victory, it's hard to swallow.  Give them credit for making up their minds in the second half, that they were going to rebound the ball. We had stops but we have to finish possessions. We believe in this group and what they are capable of. We have to continue to get better. Belief is a powerful thing."

I KNOW YOU

Xavier guard Paul Scruggs and Butler big man, Joey Brunk were teammates at Indianapolis, Southport High School.  Southport won a sectional title with the pair in 2015-16.
Xavier head coach Travis Steele graduated from Butler in 2004.  Butler head coach LaVall Jordan graduated from Butler in 2001.  He is in his second year as head coach at his alma mater.


UP NEXT:

Butler will visit DePaul on Wednesday January 16 at 8:30 eastern time.  DePaul defeated St. Johns 79-71 on Saturday to improve its record to 10-6 overall and 2-2 in the Big East.
Xavier will travel to Philadelphia to meet Big East leader Villanova on Friday January 18 at 8:30 eastern time.  Villanova is 12-4 overall and 3-0 in the Big East pending a later game at Creighton on Sunday.

Xavier Comeback Dumps Hoyas

Zach Hankins and Tyrique Jones combined for 42 points and 20 rebounds as the Xavier Musketeers erased a 17-point deficit to eclipse the Georgetown Hoyas, 81-75.

Trailing 39-22 with 3:49 in the first half, Xavier put together a 17-0 run that put them even with 18:29 to go in the game.

Xavier (10-7, 2-2) controlled the second half maintaining a steady seven-point margin over the last seven minutes.

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Jesse Govan led Georgetown, (11-5, 1-2) with 27 points and eight rebounds.  Freshman James Akinjo scored 13 for the Hoyas.  Greg Malinowski scored 12.  The Hoyas connected on their first six 3-point shots but were 4-for-21 after that.

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"We stopped sharing the ball.  We needed to make another pass to find the open man,' Georgetown Patrick Ewing said.  "They went to a zone.  We had to stop shooting threes.  When they went to the zone, we should have gotten the ball inside.  That's where we lost the game.  They had 48 points in the paint. We had 28.  They got it into the paint and we didn't."

The Musketeers snapped a two-game losing streak.  Georgetown lost its second straight game. Naji Marshall scored 13 for the Musketeers.  Paul Scruggs contributed 10 points to the cause.

Hankins scored 23 points and had 10 rebounds.  Jones had 19 points and 10 rebounds.

The Hoyas scorched the nets with six 3-point baskets in six tries to put the Musketeers on their heals.  Georgetown opened an 11-point lead midway through the first half on the strength of those long range scores and a 51.7 shooting percentage.  The Hoyas missed 15 times in the first 17 minutes of the game but collected seven offensive rebounds.

"We had our hands full with Jesse Govan.  Our guys stayed with it," Xavier coach Travis Steele said.  "We went to a 3-2 zone that got us some run outs at the end of the half. I tell our guys we have to celebrate each win in the Big East. They were getting a lot of second and third shots early we had to fix that."

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Xavier went ice cold for 2:21 in between scores missing all four of its shots but closed in at 39-30 at the 2:00 mark with an 8-0 run.  Xavier scored the last four points of the half to extend its run to 12-0 on a layup by Zach Hankins and a coast to coast drive in the waning seconds by Marshall closed the half with Xavier trailing 39-34.

"We take what coach says really seriously," Hankins said.  "We took the 12 points into halftime.  None of us were hanging our heads."

Tonight was the first time that Hankins and Jones spent a lot of time on the floor together and it paid off.   They stayed out of foul trouble by switching off on Govan.  They worked on getting the Georgetown big man out of the game.

"Having those two guys together is a good look for us," Steele said. "We've been playing with four guards all year.  We only have two bigs.  As long as they stray out of foul trouble, we can do that."

The Musketeers played without one of it leading scorers and most experienced players, Quentin Goodin, who has been hobbled with a knee injury.

"Q's knee is day-to-day.  He participated in shoot around but he wasn't ready," Steele said.

Xavier is now 14-4 in the all-time series.

Xavier Host The Hoyas Of Georgetown

Will the Xavier Musketeers have a case of "Hoya Paranoia"?

The (9-7, 1-2) Xavier squad invites Big East rival the Georgetown Hoyas (11-4, 1-1) into the Cintas Center, trying to shake a two-game conference losing streak.

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Marshall averages a team-leading 13.1 points-per-game.Quentin Goodin is out with a knee injury, but averages 12.6., Paul Scruggs is standing at 12.6. Tyrique Jones holds a 9.6 average.  Grad students Ryan Welage (9.1) and Zach Hankins (9.7) complete the scoring portfolio.

Xavier lost at home to Seton Hall last Wednesday at home and to Marquette Saturday on the road.

The Hoyas come into the game after an overtime loss to St. John's that shattered a four-game winning streak.

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Georgetown gets most of its scoring from senior Jesse Govan, a 6'10" barrier in the middle, averaging 18.7 ppg and 7.5 rebounds-per-game.   Freshman Mac McClung has a 12.3 average in his first 15 collegiate games.  Fellow freshman James Akinjo scores as a 14.2 clip.  Trey Mourning (7.7) and Jamorko Picket (5.5) completed the starting quintet.

Xavier leads the all-time series 14-3 and swept the Hoyas in three games last season, including an overtime win at Cintas Center when Trayvon Bluiett made an improbable four-point play as time ran out in regulation.

Late Surge Allows Seton Hall To Eclipse Xavier

The Xavier Musketeers led most of the game but the Seton Hall Pirates rallied late on the back of Myles Powell to ruin the first Big East home game of 2019 .with an 80-70 win

Xavier led by 10 points with 12:16 left in the game but a scoring drought caused by a flurry of five turnovers in nine possessions allowed the Pirates to pass Xavier like they were standing still.

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"We had a stretch where we had a lot of turnovers and that cost us the game right there," said Paul Scruggs. "We're playing the game way too fast. We're thinking two steps ahead when we need to be thinking one step. They're a great team. We've just got to stick it out. Just got to toughen up on the offense. We let one slip away."

Six minutes after Xavier established its largest lead of the half, Seton Hall scored tied the game at 63-63 with 6:26 left.  The Pirates outscored Xavier 17-7 over the final six minutes.

Powell ended up with 25 points and perhaps even more important he dished out eight assists.

"Myles is as good as any player in the country," Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard said.  "I loved the way he passed the basketball today.  He is really starting to understand with all the attention he's getting, there's guys open and they're going to make plays for him."

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Powell took over late in the game.

"I know I'm the leader of this team," Powell said.  "My guys are looking for me to lead them.  We've been here.  We're battle tested.  We came out with a big win."

Xavier led most of the first half but Seton Hall took a 31-30 lead on a layup by Powell with 5:58 left in the first half.  Xavier completed a 9-0 run.  Powell the Pirates' leading scorer on the season took control.  He scored five points down the stretch to cut the lead to 42-38 at halftime.

Zach Hanke established a new Musketeer and Division I high with 18 points.  His previous high was 15 points on November 20, against San Diego State.  His career high is 31 points for Ferris State of NCAA Division II against Northern Michigan on February 17, 2018.

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In the second half, Hanke was quiet with two points.  Paul Scruggs led Xavier with 22 points.

"The biggest thing we did against Hanke, we changed our pick and roll coverage," Willard said. "We were way to extended in the first half and let him get some easy rolls. He had way too many uncontested layups.  The biggest thing we did was tighten up the floor and make it hard for him to operate."

Seton Hall (11-3, 2-0) was coming off a two-point win over St. John's.  They had an overtime win over Kentucky at Madison Square Gardens and a 78-74 win on the road at Maryland.

"Coach had a good pre-season schedule for us with Kentucky and Maryland," Powell said.  "It battle tested us.  Now with conference play, coach has always told us the in conference play, it is going down to the wire.  Each possession is important.  We came out and executed.  We did what coach wanted us to do and we came out on top."

It was two down and 16 to go in Willard's eyes.

"It is a real good start to the season," Willard said.  "I think St. John's is one of the best teams in the league and to come on the road to one of the toughest places to play, that's two good wins in a row.  But we still have 16 more to go."

Xavier hopes to bounce back against Marquette on Sunday.

"We have to bounce back, like St. John's did after losing to these guys," Xavier coach Travis Steele said.  "Powell is one of the best players in the country.  He will surely be all Big East.  We have to take better care of the basketball."

Xavier Hosts Seton Hall

The Xavier Musketeers host the Seton Hall Pirates in the first Big East home game of the year and the season. 

Xavier won both meetings last season, including a 102-90 win at the Cintas Center, but Seton Hall holds a 10-8 series advantage.

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The Pirates are 10-3 and 1-0 in the Big East with a win over previously unbeaten St. John's.  The Musketeers are 9-5 and 1-0 in the Big East with a triumph at DePaul.

Seton Hall's defeated the Kentucky Wildcats on December 8, 84-83 in overtime at Rupp Arena.  The Pirates were on the short end of a 70-65 count at home .Louisville and former Xavier coach, Chris Mack.

The Pirates have a scoring machine in Myles Powell, who tormented Xavier last season.  Powell averages 22.5 points-per-game.  The four other starters are cluster around the 10 ppg mark.  Mike Nzei 10.2,  6'10" Sandro Mamukelashvilli 10 even, Myles Cale 9.2 and Quincy McKnight 9.2

Quentin Goodin leads Xavier with 13.7 ppg.  Nazi Marshall is right behind with 13 ppg.  Zach Hanke is averaging 9.5 per game.  Paul Scruggs contributes 11.9 and Kyle Castlin is a 5,3 ppg scorer.

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