Jan. 3, 2008

Box Score |  Photo Gallery  | Notes and Quotes | Postgame Press Conference

CINCINNATI - The Musketeers overwhelmed the Cavaliers with a nearly flawless first half and never looked back as the Xavier University men's basketball team throttled Virginia by a 108-70 count on Thursday evening at Cintas Center.  With the win the Musketeers improve to 11-3 on the year while UVA slips to 11-3.

The loss was the defending ACC Champions' most lopsided since UVA dropped a 99-54 decision at North Carolina on March 1, 2006.        

Senior guard Stanley Burrell led the Musketeers with a game-high 15 points in only 21 minutes of action.  Burrell was 3-of-4 from 3-point range and dished-out five of XU's season-high 27 assists while turning the ball over only once.  Over the last three games, Burrell has amassed 17 assists and only two turnovers.

Incredibly, Xavier had a school-record seven players reach double-digit scoring for the second-straight game.  XU also had seven double-figure scorers in the December 31 victory over Kansas State. 

Senior All-American candidate Drew Lavender was outstanding once again, scoring 14 points and dropping eight dimes while not committing a single turnover.  Lavender's 14 came on a 5-of-8 effort from the floor, including a 2-for-4 night from deep. 

The junior tandem of C.J. Anderson and B.J. Raymond each chipped in with 12 points.  Anderson was a tidy 3-for-4 from the floor and he also snared six rebounds.  Raymond connected on four of Xavier's school-record tying 16 3-point field goals.

Senior forward Josh Duncan scored 11 points and was 3-for-4 from deep.  Charles Bronson scored a career-high 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting in only nine-minutes of action.  Sophomore forward Derrick Brown scored nine points in 22 minutes of action.  He also corralled a game-high seven rebounds.    

Sophomore center Jason Love was the seventh Musketeer in double-figures with 10 points on an efficient 5-for-6 effort from the field. 

UVA would clip the XU lead to 63-37 with 17:10 remaining in the second half but Xavier exploded to the tune of a 19-3 run over the next four-minutes to take a 43-point lead (83-40) after sophomore guard Adrion Graves buried a long-ball. 

XU finished the night with a blistering 63.8 percent (37-for-58) effort from the floor and shot an unconscious 61.5 percent (16-for-26) from three land. 

Xavier out-rebounded UVA (the nation's leader in rebound margin) 32-to-30 and held a 16-to-6 effort in second chance points.  Xavier also beat up the Cavaliers in points in the paint, out-scoring UVA 34-to-24 down low.  Xavier out-muscled and out-hustled Virginia, out-scoring UVA by a 13-to-2 count on the fastbreak.        

The Musketeers blitzed their way to a 61-30 halftime lead by scorching the nets at a 66.7 percent
(22-for-33) clip in the first stanza.  Amazingly, Xavier matched a season high by connecting on 11 3-point field goals and dished-out 16 assists while turning the ball over only three times in the first 20 minutes.    

XU used an enlivening 15-0 run over a 3:10 stretch to extend its lead to 38-12 at the 8:30 mark.  The run was capped by an old-fashioned 3-point by Anderson, which brought the crowd of 10,073 to its feet. 

The Musketeers are back in action on Sunday, January 6 when the team travels to Auburn to take on the Tigers.  Game time is set for 3 p.m. and the contest will be televised regionally on FSN Ohio.