Naji Marshall had 23 points and Xavier hit a season-high 12 3-pointers in a 78-67 home win over DePaul on Tuesday night in Cincinnati.
The Musketeers (18-10, 7-8 Big East) made 10 triples in the first half, one fewer than their previous best in an entire game, with Marshall swishing three from deep during a 16-point effort in the opening 20 minutes. He finished with 8-for-13 shooting and added five rebounds and six assists as Xavier shot 50.9 percent overall and 12 of 25 from the perimeter.
They entered the game hitting only 30.5 percent of their 3-point attempts.
Xavier led by as many as 13 in the first half and led 44-36 at the break after DePaul (14-14, 2-13) scored five points in the final 1:07 before halftime.
The Blue Demons scored the first five points of the second half to pull within three, and they trailed 50-47 with 14:55 to go after a Jaylen Butz dunk in transition.
But the Musketeers then went on an 12-1 run during which DePaul turned it over six times and only attempted four shots in a six-minute span.
DePaul dominated on the boards, holding a 40-25 edge with 15 offensive rebounds, but 22 turnovers negated that advantage.
Romeo Weems had 16 points and Paul Reed had 14 points and 15 rebounds for DePaul, while Xavier's Tyrique Jones finished with nine points and five rebounds to end his streak of nine consecutive double-doubles.
--Field Level Media
DePaul | Xavier | |
Romeo Weems 16 | Scoring | Naji Marshall 23 |
Oscar Lopez Jr. 4 | Assists | Jason Carter 6 |
Paul Reed 16 | Rebounds | Zach Freemantle 6 |
Jaylen Butz 1 | Free Throws Made | Naji Marshall 4 |
Romeo Weems 5 | Steals | Zach Freemantle 3 |
Nick Ongenda 4 | Blocks | Zach Freemantle 3 |