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Pacific Knocks off Muskies in Anaheim
11/22/2012
The Xavier Musketeers jumped out to a 9-0 lead before the Pacific Tigers could even blink. The Tigers didn't score until nearly five minutes had passed in the game. From then on out, it was all Pacific.
With a 70-67 win over Xavier (3-1), the Tigers (2-2) advanced to the semifinals of the DirecTV Classic in Anaheim. For the Musketeers, it was a second straight disappointing performance, sending them to the loser's side of the bracket, where they will face Drexel on Friday night at 6 PM.
Pacific rallied from that 9-0 early deficit, taking a 32-30 halftime lead. Their surge was led by forward Trevin Harris, who drilled four three pointers in the first half, finishing with 16 to lead the Tigers.
The Tigers received 44 points from their bench, while the Musketeers only got 7 points -- highlighting issues in depth that Xavier could face all year long.
The Muskies were also dealt a dose of their own medicine, with Pacific shooting 56.9% for the game. Xavier, who came into the game leading all Division I teams in team field goal percentage, managed a respectable 47.9% shooting from the field and 41.2% from three. It was not enough.
Xavier closed to within three at 64-61 on a Justin Martin three after a steal with 1:50 to go. But a 6-0 Pacific run put the game out of reach. Those easy buckets for the Tigers looked even more important in the end as Dee Davis and Martin drilled back-to-back threes, and Davis' last ditch effort banged long off the backboard.
Semaj Christon and Davis led the offensive effort again for the Musketeers. Christon scored 18 with 6 assists, again showing off his incredible athleticism with several drives through the heart of the defense. Davis had 14 points, including 3 threes, but he had just 1 assist and never seemed to get the offense in a rhythm.
It was a disappointing defensive effort for the Musketeers, who failed to capitalize on Pacific's 13 turnovers. And they gave up a lot of easy, wide open shots late in the game. Xavier was also out-rebounded 30-22 by a smaller and less athletic team.
One major issue was Jeff Robinson, who was a complete non-factor in the game, finishing with 4 points and 1 rebound. Xavier absolutely has to get more out of Robinson if they expect to win games.
Justin Martin had 11 points (3 threes) and 5 rebounds, but he seemed to disappear for stretches in the game, never really asserting himself. Travis Taylor had another solid game, finishing with 13 points. But he disappeared when shots went up, pulling down just 3 rebounds against the undersized Tigers.
Isaiah Philmore made his Musketeers debut, with 5 points and 4 rebounds in 16 minutes of play. He even showed some range, stepping outside to knock down a three.
But Xavier lost control of this game early, when they failed to keep up the tempo they set in the opening minutes. Unable to push the pace, the Musketeers were forced to slow it down into their half court offense. That never worked for Xavier. Only when they began to pressure the Tigers late did they start biting into Pacific's 10 point lead.
Also, something to keep an eye on: Erik Stenger received just 9 minutes of playing time and James Farr didn't see the floor again. Farr's lack of playing time is eerily similar to the Jordan Latham and Jay Canty situations from a couple of years ago. Stenger's limited minutes may be more of an issue with his size and inexperience.
Regardless, it will be interesting to see how Mack continues to divide up minutes. It's difficult to see situations where the starting five don't all receive 30+ minutes each every game. Depth will be an issue all season for the Musketeers.
For Xavier, though, the loss was another learning experience, this time in a loss and away from the Cintas Center. This season will be a part of the process for the Musketeers, finding ways to win with a flawed and inexperienced roster. There's going to be struggles, but the talent is there. Right now, they need to find a way to play consistent defense and get more guys involved on offense again.
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