No. 10 Musketeers Top Auburn for Best Start in School History

Saturday, December 19

Cincinnati, Ohio

12 P.M.

Xavier University

11-0

Auburn University

5-3

Auburn

Xavier

No. 10 Musketeers Top Auburn for Best Start in School History

12.19.15 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Reynolds’ season high leads five Musketeers in double figures

By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – The No. 10 ranked Xavier men's basketball team rolled past Auburn at Cintas Center on Satuday, moving to 11-0 on the season, marking the best start in school history. The 11-game win streak to start the season matches the longest win streak since the 2008-09 season when the Musketeers put together an 11-game streak midseason.

Jalen Reynolds led five Musketeers in double figures with a season-high 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor.

Trevon Bluiett added 13 points, marking the tenth time in 11 games this season he has scored 10 or more points. Sumner added 13 points and five assists.

James Farr finished with 12 points to go with 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Sean O'Mara set a new career high with 10 points.

Xavier never trailed in the game, jumping out to an 8-0 lead to open the game while holding the Tigers without a basket until the 16:34 mark. The Musketeers hit a pair of threes early, and then looked inside to build its advantage, getting six early points each for James Farr and Jalen Reynolds to build a 13-point lead, going up 19-6 with 11 minutes remaining in the first half.

Led by Reynolds' 14 first-half points, the Musketeers built the lead out to as many as 16, 28-12, before Auburn closed the half on a 7-3 run to cut the Xavier lead down to 39-30 going into the break.

Reynolds also led the Musketeers with five boards as Xavier out-rebounded the Tigers, 20-12, including grabbing seven boards off of the offensive glass for eight second chance points to zero for Auburn.

Bluiett opened the second half with a layup for two of his 10 second-half points to extend the lead to 11, 41-30. The Musketeers' advantage would stay in double digits for the remainder of the game.

The Musketeers continued to take advantage of second opportunities on the offensive end, grabbing 15 offensive boards to outscore the Tigers 24-2 on second-chance points. Xavier owned a 42-26 advantage overall on the boards, led by Farr's 11 while Reynolds, Sumner and O'Mara finished with six boards each, matching career highs for Sumner and O'Mara.

The Musketeers also took advantage of 14 Tiger miscues, outscoring AU 17-6 in points off turnovers to help extended the lead to as many as 25, 80-55, with less than five minutes remaining in the game before winning by a final score of 85-61.

Auburn's Kareem Canty finished with a game-high 25 points. The Tigers' Cinmeon Bowers matched Farr for game-high with 11 boards.

Next for the Musketeers is a trip to Winston-Salem, N.C. to face Wake Forest in the Skip Prosser Classic. The Musketeers take on the Demon Deacons on Tuesday, Dec. 22 at 7:00 p.m. ET on FOX Sports Regional Networks, including FOX Sports Ohio and FOX Sports South.