Five players scored in double figures for Xavier (4-0), including Dee Davis with 13 and Jalen Reynolds with 12. Reynolds added 11 rebounds, while James Farr also notched a double-double with 10 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, matching his season total in both categories coming into the contest.
Cameron Payne paced Murray State (2-2) with 23 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Jarvis Williams added 14 points. Tyler Rambo finished with 11 points, but the rest of the Murray State squad combined for just 14 points.
Xavier was dominant from the start, building an 11-0 lead just over three minutes into the game, then building the advantage to 17 on Stainbrook's layup with 13:25 to play in the first half. Murray State responded with a 14-4 run to cut the lead to seven, but two quick Bluiett 3-pointers sparked a 12-2 Musketeers streak and Xavier pushed it to a 20-point advantage at halftime.
The lead was still 22 midway through the second half when the Musketeers went on a 9-0 run to push the advantage to 31 with 6:32 to play on Farr's layup. Even clearing the benches didn't change the domination of Xavier in this one, giving the Musketeers another easy victory.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Musketeers dominated the glass, 56-23, grabbing more offensive rebounds (26) than the Racers had total rebounds. … Xavier entered the game fourth in the nation in assists per game with 22.7, an average that will stay intact after the Musketeers dished out 23. … The Racers struggled with their shooting, hitting 4-of-17 from 3-point range and shooting 61.5 percent from the free-throw line.
Murray St. | Xavier | |
Cameron Payne 23 | Scoring | Trevon Bluiett 19 |
Cameron Payne 4 | Assists | Dee Davis 5 |
Cameron Payne 7 | Rebounds | James Farr 14 |
Jarvis Williams 4 | Free Throws Made | Dee Davis 4 |
Jeffery Moss 2 | Steals | Dee Davis 3 |
Jonathan Fairell 1 | Blocks | Jalen Reynolds 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Murray St. | 62 | 40.3 | 4-17 | 8-13 | 11 | 23 | 5 | 9 | 13 |
Xavier | 89 | 48.0 | 6-20 | 11-18 | 23 | 54 | 4 | 8 | 13 |