Tyrique Jones recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds as No. 25 Xavier used a pressure defense to pull away in an 87-62 victory over visiting Lipscomb on Saturday afternoon in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Freshman Zach Freemantle collected a season-high 15 points and five rebounds before fouling out, and Paul Scruggs had 15 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Musketeers (7-1), who shot a season-high 48.6 percent from the field and forced the Bisons into 18 turnovers.
Naji Marshall had 13 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals in the win.
KJ Johnson scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half, Ahsan Asadullah had 18 points and nine rebounds and Parker Hazen had eight points and eight rebounds for the Atlantic Suns Bisons (3-5) in the first meeting between the schools.
Marshall, held to a season-low six points in a loss to Florida in the Charleston Classic final, scored nine straight points early in the second half -- with his short jumper with 13:31 remaining giving the Musketeers a 61-40 lead. The Bisons failed to get closer than 15 points for the rest of the game.
Xavier had a 43-36 rebounding edge and 24 points off Lipscomb turnovers. The Bisons shot 39.7 percent.
Xavier freshman guard KyKy Tandy had five points with a 3-pointer in 14 minutes in his first game of the season. He missed the first seven because of a foot injury.
Tandy hit a 3-pointer on his first shot attempt and Jones made a pair of short jumpers in a 7-0 run to give the Musketeers a 21-16 lead.
Hazen's three-point play brought the Bisons within two at 26-24 before the Musketeers finished the half on a 14-2 run fueled by six points from Scruggs.
Lipscomb had six of its 12 first-half turnovers and was 1 of 9 from the field in the final six minutes of the half.
--Field Level Media
Lipscomb | Xavier | |
KJ Johnson 25 | Scoring | Zach Freemantle 15 |
Ahsan Asadullah 4 | Assists | Paul Scruggs 6 |
Ahsan Asadullah 9 | Rebounds | Tyrique Jones 10 |
KJ Johnson 5 | Free Throws Made | Zach Freemantle 7 |
Ahsan Asadullah 3 | Steals | Naji Marshall 3 |
N/A | Blocks | Jason Carter 3 |