Jan. 21, 2009
Final Stats
OLEAN, N.Y. (AP)--C.J. Anderson scored 15 points and No. 15 Xavier, off to the second-best start in school history, beat St. Bonaventure 84-64 on Wednesday night.
Backup guard Brad Redford hit his first three 3-point attempts to spark a decisive first-half run and finished with 14 points for Xavier (16-2, 5-0 Atlantic 10). The Musketeers, who have won seven straight since losing consecutive games to Duke and Butler, are off to their best start since going 24-2 in 1989-90.
Freshman forward Andrew Nicholson scored 13 for St. Bonaventure (11-7, 2-3), which has lost four in a row at home. Maurice Thomas added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Bonnies, who have lost eight straight to the Musketeers and 13 in a row against ranked opponents.
The Musketeers improved to 17-1 against conference opponents dating to last season, and are closing in on their 13th 20-win season in 14 years, and fourth straight.
Ahead 23-20, the Musketeers took control during the final 4 minutes of the first half by outscoring the poor-shooting Bonnies 18-2. The run was capped by Terrell Holloway, who hit an open 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Xavier finally found its offensive rhythm, courtesy of a fast-paced transition game, which took advantage of St. Bonaventure missing 11 of its final 14 attempts of the half. And it wasn't as if Xavier's tough defense was all that dominant, because the Bonnies missed several open looks outside and shots from in close.
Xavier's defense, which is limiting opponents to 37 percent shooting, did have its moments.
The turning point came with just under 4 minutes left in the first half when Anderson blocked Jonathan Hall's shot from the paint, leading directly to Redford hitting a 3-pointer on the break to give Xavier a 29-20 lead. The rout was on a few minutes later when, during a 26-second span, Jason Love hit a hook shot from the paint and Dante' Jackson a 3 in transition.
After hitting four of its first six attempts, St. Bonaventure went cold, finishing 21-of-50 from the field.
The resurgent Bonnies, who have already won their most games since 2001-02, lacked the bodies and veteran talent to keep up with the deep Musketeers. Starting point guard Malcolm Eleby got into early foul trouble and played only 10 minutes in the first half. The Bonnies were already without his backup, dependable Ray Blackburn, who missed his second consecutive game and is out indefinitely with a torn knee ligament.
