Xavier Defeats Fordham, 68-50, for Second A-10 Win
Jan. 12, 2008
CINCINNATI - Junior guard B.J. Raymond posted a game-high 20 points on the strength of 5-of-6 shooting from behind the arc to lead the Xavier Musketeers to a 68-50 win over the visiting Fordham Rams Saturday afternoon in Raymond, who has now scored 20 or more points in two straight games, led four other Musketeers in double figure scoring for the contest as senior guards Stanley Burrell and Drew Lavender and sophomore forward Derrick Brown each chipped in 10 points apiece. Junior forward C.J. Anderson led XU with nine boards while Burrell dished out six assists. Lavender, who was a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe today, has now made 23 straight free throws and is now shooting 93.5 percent (43-for-46) from the line this season. As a team, the Musketeers are currently shooting a program-best 77.0 percent from the line. Leading 32-26 at the break, Xavier opened the second half with an 11-2 run to extend its lead to 43-28 at the 16:04 mark. The Musketeers would stretch that lead to 19, their largest of the game, as Lavender hit a pair of free throws to notch the score at 54-35 with just over eight minutes remaining. Fordham would get no closer than 13 points for the rest of the contest. Trailing 15-13 at the 11:07mark, XU went on a 12-0 run to take a 25-15 lead with 4:19 remaining in the first frame. Raymond had six points on a pair of 3-pointers to pace the Musketeers during the spurt. Fordham was led by Bryant Dunston, who recorded his fourth straight double-double, with 19 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. He also tied the Fordham all-time career blocks record with three rejections, giving him 258 career blocks. Marcus Stout added 16 points for the Rams as well. Up next for the Musketeers is a two-game conference road trip, which kicks off with a stop in Philadelphia as XU squares off with Temple on Wednesday, January 16 at 7:00 p.m. Temple leads the all-time series with Xavier, 9-8.
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