Xavier and Dayton square off in Atlantic 10 showdown
Posted: Wed Feb 11 10:34 AM
Dayton, OH (Sports Network) - Two of the top teams in the Atlantic 10 go toe- to-toe tonight, as they 14th-ranked Xavier Musketeers clash with the Dayton Flyers in a key conference clash.
The Musketeers enter the contest off their first A-10 loss, as they were upended, 72-68, at Duquesne on Saturday. It was the first loss since dropping a 74-65 decision to Butler on December 23rd, as Xavier saw its 11-game winning streak come to an end. Still, the Musketeers own a half-game lead over Saint Joseph's for the conference lead at 8-1, and their healthy 20-3 overall mark speaks for itself.
As for Dayton, it was unable to take advantage of Xavier's loss over the weekend, falling at Charlotte by a 79-66 score. It was a surprising result considering Charlotte had only won one prior league contest before snapping the Flyers' seven-game winning streak. At 7-2 within the conference though, Dayton remains in the thick of A-10 race and its 21-3 overall mark speaks volumes of its success thus far.
Dayton and Xavier have a long history together, with the Flyers holding an 80-67 lead in the all-time series. The Musketeers, however, have owned the rivalry of late, winning the last season meetings and by an average margin of 14.3 ppg.
The Musketeers do some many things well, like outrebounding foes by 8.7. rpg, and that is what makes them so dangerous. Offensively, Xavier is turning in 74.5 ppg and making 40.1 percent of its three-point tries, while at the other end of the court, the team is holding opponents to just 38.3 percent shooting from the field. Derrick Brown and B.J. Raymond are tied for the team-lead in scoring at 13.9 ppg, with Brown also grabbing 6.0 rpg and Raymond shooting 43.3 percent from long range. C.J. Anderson has also done his part, contributing 10.8 ppg and 5.8 rpg. On Saturday, Xavier allowed Duquesne to shoot a ridiculous 81.0 percent from the floor in the first stanza, as the Dukes built a 15-point halftime and held on for a 72-68 victory. The Musketeers limited Duquesne to a dismal 29.2 percent shooting effort in the second frame, so they made the appropriate adjustments, however the deficit was too much to overcome. Raymond paced the team in defeat with 18 points on 4-of-9 three-pointers, while Brown had 12 points and seven boards.
The Flyers have built their reputation with tenacious defense, as they are holding foes to only 58.9 ppg and a just 38.1 percent shooting from the floor. As a matter of fact, Dayton is a perfect 18-0 this season when allowing 70 points or fewer in a game. Chris Wright has played a big role at both ends of the floor and he paces Dayton with 12.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 28 blocks. Marcus Johnson has formed a solid one-two punch with Wright and he adds 11.8 ppg on he strength of 38.5 percent shooting from three-point distance. On Sunday, the Flyers turned the ball over 17 times and those miscues resulted in 20 points for Charlotte in a 79-66 setback. Dayton also set itself back with a poor showing at the foul line, where it finished just 9-of-20. Chris Johnson guided the Flyers with 13 points and seven boards, and Charles Little chipped in with 11 points.
