Four Hit Double-Digits for XU's 20th Win, 83-74 Over Temple

B.J. Raymond Scores 24 to Lead the Musketeers

Senior B.J. Raymond is the first player since David West to have four straight 20-point games.
 
Senior B.J. Raymond is the first player since David West to have four straight 20-point games.
  

Feb. 5, 2009

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CINCINNATI – Senior B.J. Raymond was golden from beyond the arc tonight, scoring 24 points to lead the No. 9 Xavier men’s basketball team to an 83-74 victory over the Temple Owls Thursday night at Cintas Center. Altogether, four Musketeers reached double-digit point totals to help earn XU it’s 20th win of the season and remain perfect in the Atlantic 10 (20-2, 8-0 A-10). Temple falls to 12-9 (4-3 A-10).

Raymond finished with a game-high 24 points on 7-11 shooting, including 5-7 from three.  The total marks the first time since David West's sophomore year that a Xavier player has scored 20-or-more points in four straight games. On the defensive end, Raymond's tenacity helped hold Temple senior Dionte Christmas to 12 points on 6-16 shooting with no three-pointers (0-3).

With Raymond and freshman Brad Redford going a combined 9-14 from deep, the Musketeers shot a gaudy 11-18 (61.1 percent) as a team from three-point land. Redford finished the game with 12 points.

Junior Derrick Brown snared a team-high eight rebounds (five offensive and three defensive) to go along with 13 points on 4-12 shooting. Junior Jason Love also went for double-digits for XU, scoring 13 on a perfect 6-6 from the field. The center grabbed seven rebounds to help the cause. Senior C.J. Anderson scored nine, almost pushing the double-digit performers to five.

A Jamel McLean layup with 15:48 remaining opened a 10-0 run in the second half that gave XU a 52-39 lead with 13:25 left. The Musketeers did not look back from there.

Temple went on a 10-0 run to open a 14-9 lead with 12:24 remaining in the first half. Xavier answered with a 14-4 run of their own, including two consecutive three-pointers from Raymond and one from Redford, to turn the game in XU’s favor, 23-18. The Musketeers led 38-34 at the half, aided by a 63.6 percentage from behind the arc (7-11).

XU out-rebounded the Owls 39-31 and led in fast break points 13-6. The Musketeers shot well from the charity stripe, going 11-17 (64.7 percent).

EA Sports producers were in attendance for the game to experience the Cintas Center home environment. Xavier has been ranked as one of EA Sports' "15 Toughest Places to Play", as voted on by college basketball fans.

The Musketeers will travel to Duquesne next for the Saturday, February 7 match-up with the Duquesne Dukes. Game time is set for 7 p.m. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Ohio.


 

 

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