Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - Semaj Christon scored 16 points to lead the
Xavier Musketeers to a 57-52 win over the visiting Temple Owls in a matchup of
Atlantic 10 heavyweights at the Cintas Center.
Travis Taylor registered a double-double for Xavier (8-6, 1-0 A10) with 11
points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Justin Martin added 10 points while Brad
Redford knocked down three triples for nine points as the Musketeers snapped a
four-game losing skid with the win.
Anthony Lee led the Owls (10-4, 0-1) with 15 points and seven rebounds, while
Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson filled the stat sheet with 11 points, six boards and
six assists. Scootie Randall added 13 points while Khalif Wyatt, who entered
the game as the team's leading scorer with 16.2 ppg, managed just five points
on 2-of-11 from the floor.
Xavier led 29-26 at halftime after holding the Owls' reserves scoreless in the
opening 20 minutes. The lead for the Musketeers could have been greater but
they struggled shooting the long ball, hitting just 1-of-7 shots from behind
the arc.
Temple opened the second half on a 9-0 run, but it could not sustain it as
Xavier battled back and used an 8-0 run of its own later in the half to take
control. Trailing 55-52 with less than a minute remaining, Wyatt and Randall
each missed potential game-tying three-pointers as Xavier held on for the
narrow victory.
The Owls, who shot just 4-of-20 beyond the arc on the night, have now lost
consecutive games for the first time this season. Despite the loss, they lead
the all-time series with Xavier, 13-11.
GAME NOTES:
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