Cincinnati, OH (My Sportsbook) - B.J. Raymond sank four three-pointers en route to a game-high 16 points, as the 15th-ranked Musketeers cruised to a 73-53 victory over the La Salle Explorers, keeping Xavier perfect in Atlantic 10 play. Derrick Brown posted 15 points, while Jason Love finished with 10 points and nine rebounds for the Musketeers (15-2, 4-0 A-10), who have won six straight after falling in back-to-back games. Brad Redford hit three from behind the arc for nine points in the win. Yves Mekongo Mbala and Rodney Green each tallied 15 points for La Salle (9-7, 1-2), which had won four of five coming in but shot just 3-for-16 from three- point range and committed 17 turnovers in the loss. The Musketeers blew open an early three-point game by outscoring the Explorers 21-5 over a 10-minute span. Terrell Holloway recorded a four-point play and Brown had 10 points during the stretch, which culminated in his fastbreak layup for a 33-14 cushion with 2 1/2 minutes to play in the first half. The difference was 39-22 at the intermission thanks to Xavier's 60.0 percent shooting effort from the field. A pair of Raymond three-pointers in the first five minutes of the second stanza helped the lead expand to 51-29. La Salle got within 65-53 on Green's layup with three minutes remaining but it was too little, too late for the Explorers. Game Notes Xavier owns a commanding 29-6 lead in the all-time series with La Salle, and has won the last three meetings, and 28 of the 32 encounters since 1983... Kimmani Barrett logged eight points and eight rebounds for La Salle...Holloway dished out six assists for Xavier, which shot almost as well from the field (52.3 percent) as it did from the free-throw line (52.8 percent). |
