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Xavier whips crosstown rival Cincinnati in spite of turnover-filled night

mack

After going 0-3 in The Bahamas, Xavier needed to turn things around with the start of Big East play rapidly approaching. And after wins over Bowling Green and Evansville, their matchup with crosstown rival Cincinnati was supposed to represent another stiff test for Chris Mack’s team. But thanks to some hot shooting from the field overall and from beyond the arc, the Musketeers’ 20 turnovers did minimal damage in their 64-47 beating of the Bearcats.

Yes, in a game in which they posted a turnover percentage of 33.3% (turning the ball over on one of every three possessions) and point guard Semaj Christon dealt with early foul trouble Xavier won by a comfortable margin. Why?. Because of what the Musketeers were able to do when they held onto the ball. Xavier shot 11-for-16 from beyond the arc and 56.4% overall, and they assisted on 16 of their 22 made field goals.

By comparison Cincinnati shot 33.3% from the field and could only convert those 20 turnovers into 14 points (Xavier scored 15 points on ten Cincinnati turnovers). With the Bearcats shooting as poorly as they did, and leading scorer Sean Kilpatrick attempting just nine shots from the field (he was averaging 12.8 attempts/game entering Saturday), Xavier was able to get away with their turnover problem.

When they held onto the basketball Xavier was very good offensively, with Justin Martin (17 points) and James Farr (ten points) leading a balanced effort with five players scoring at least seven points. Turnovers were a problem in The Bahamas, as Xavier turned the ball over 19 times in two of the three games, but on the season this is a team that ranks second in the Big East in turnover percentage.

With the jet-quick Semaj Christon running the show Xavier has a capable floor general, and newcomers like Myles Davis and Brandon Randolph will only get better with more experience. Thanks to their effort on the defensive end, and what they were able to do with the possessions that didn’t end with a turnover, Xavier wrestled away bragging rights from their city rival.

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