Nov. 29, 2008
Box Score
CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Xavier took its first lead midway through the second half with a 15-4 run, then hit enough free throws down the stretch as the 16th-ranked Musketeers fought off Miami 60-53 Saturday afternoon at the Cintas Center.
Kenny Hayes finished the game with 19 points while Michael Bramos tallied 15 before fouling out with 2:10 remaining. Derrick Brown of Xavier (6-0) led all scorers with 23 points.
Miami (2-3) led 36-30 with 14 minutes remaining, but the Musketeers rallied to tie the game at 38. They took their first lead of the game on their third chance, when B.J. Raymond drained a three from the right side for a 41-38 advantage. The overall run continued to 15-4 -- putting Xavier ahead 45-40 -- before Eric Pollitz connected on a short jumper. Bramos later tallied five straight points to bring Miami to within one, 48-47, with 3:13 left.
But Xavier's Jamel McLean dunked home a rebound, then Brown hit two free throws and the RedHawks never challenged again. The Musketeers hit seven of 10 free throws in the final 2:10.
"They got a lot of shots in a four-minute span," Head Coach Charlie Coles said. "They had a lot of energy then and I don't think we matched it. The other thing was their ability to get to the free throw line. The more aggresive team usually gets to the line more. They are talented, but I thought we could have done a better job on Derrick (Brown)."
Miami scored first, then answered a Xavier basket with an 8-0 run. Bramos and Hayes each canned three-pointers during the spurt. The Musketeers closed back to within four before the team started trading scores.
The RedHawks led 15-11 before pushing the lead to double digits with seven straight points. Tyler Dierkers hit a jumper and Carl Richburg canned a three-pointer before Bramos added a pair of free throws, lifting Miami to an 11-point advantage, 22-11 with 6:01 left in the half.
Xavier fought back with six straight points, three on free throws and a three-pointer by Derrick Brown. A 30-second timeout set up Dierkers for an inside jumper to stop the run and push the lead back to seven, 24-17 at the 3:43 mark.
But Xavier scored seven in a row, holding Miami scoreless until the buzzer sounded, when Bramos canned a 30-footer as time ran out. The shot gave the RedHawks a 27-24 lead at the break.
Neither team shot particularly well with Miami hitting 32.8 percent for the contest and Xavier making just 37.5 percent. However, the Musketeers made 40.7 percent after intermission and finished with a 38-16 advantage in free throw attempts. Miami posted a 41-38 margin in rebounding, but had four more turnovers (13-9).
Miami finishes its season-opening six-game road trip Wednesday night at Temple. The RedHawks host Northwestern State at 3 p.m. next Saturday.
