(Photo Courtesy of Desmond Fischer/ Xavier News Wire)
Xavier fans have been waiting so far through this young season to find their stride on offense. Tonight, they got a little closer to finding their stride after a 40% three-point shooting tonight.
While Bryce Moore and Tyrique Jones may have been the statistical leaders on the floor for the Musketeers, Paul Scruggs was the player making all the right plays. "Paul was terrific. How about that rebound he had where it looked like it was at the top of the glass and he's got those long, go-go gadget arms and pushed the ball off to Jason (Carter), and got an and-one." Head Coach Travis Steele said about Scruggs with a strong sense of pride. "He made so many winning plays. He was diving on the floor, blocking a shot. I love what he's bringing to the table for us." Scruggs finished the game with 11 points on 5/7 shooting and five assists, four rebounds and three steals.
Tonight was one of those nights where it looked like Xavier was just in sync and in rhythm. Jason Carter had 13 points and nine rebounds, Bryce Moore had 12 points and was 3/6 from the arch and Tyrique Jones was back to his old double-double self with 12 points and 12 rebounds. On the other end, Xavier was as locked in on defense as they have been all season.
Xavier held Towson to just 31% from shooting from the floor and 25% from 3. The Musketeers also had five blocked shots, seven steals and out-rebounded the Tigers by a total of 45-32. Their strong defensive performance lead to 15 points off of turnovers and helped lead the Musketeers to their 5th straight win to start the season.
Up next for Xavier, they will play the winner of the Buffalo vs UCONN game. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 PM EST.
Tim Daniel is the host of 48 Minutes and @ Large Bid on the 48 Minutes Network. Tim is also the head of NCAA Basketball content for 48 Minutes. If you wanna talk Basketball or pop-culture with Tim, Follow him here.
