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Bearcats Smother Musketeers with Second Half Surge
12/20/2012
For a half, the Xavier Musketeers hung with the Cincinnati Bearcats, and turned the game into a war. But experience, speed, and toughness took its eventual toll on the Musketeers, as the Bearcats pulled away with a 60-45 victory.
Xavier (7-3) came into the game knowing they would have to play a nearly perfect game to beat the eleventh ranked Bearcats (11-0). And the game they played Wednesday night at US Bank Arena was far from their best.
The Bearcats jumped out to a 5-0 lead to start the game, as Xavier struggled to get into their offense, often settling for bad jump shots. But the Musketeers survived a slow start with a 16-6 run over almost 8 minutes. Eight minutes. Yes, both teams played that poorly in the first half.
“They came out fighting hard and we were so flat they caught us off guard. They were doing everything they could to get the lead and we couldn’t get it back," Cashmere Wright said.
The Muskies built a slim 24-22 half time lead on the strength of their best defensive performance of the year. Xavier matched UC in steals, at 5, while also not turning the ball over as much (7 turnovers to UC's 9). Davis and Christon were constantly jumping the passing lanes up top, preventing UC from getting anything going inside the three point arc.
That was reflected in the stat sheet, as the Musketeers smothered Cincinnati to the tune of 25% shooting. Sean Kilpatrick was hearing it from the Xavier student section, as he was a weak 3 of 12 from the floor, with just 7 points.
Nonetheless, the halftime lead (as slim as it was) felt hollow -- particularly with Xavier's inability to hit shots (39.3%). Brad Redford hit a three, but missed several opportunities to drain others. Worse, the Musketeers missed 6 free points from the free throw line, going 0 for 6 from the line in the first half, and 3 of 14 for the game.
“Those are big points, especially in a game like this when you’re struggling from three, struggling to make any easy buckets. When you get to the line you’ve got to step up and make them,” Redford said.
The poor offensive showing took away from Xavier's nice effort to contain UC's strength -- rebounding and pressure defense. Travis Taylor more than held his own, with 12 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Xavier even held their own on the glass, only being outrebounded by 6 in the first half. Considering the Bearcats pulled down 5 offensive rebounds in one possession, it wasn't bad for the Musketeers. Semaj Christon and Dee Davis broke their press numerous times with quick, sharp passes. That, along with Xavier's own defense, led to a number of quick score opportunities for the Musketeers. Nonetheless, missing open jumpers killed them.
“We were who we wanted to be in the first half,’’ said Xavier coach Chris Mack. “Then UC really showed up with their defensive pressure. They really rattled us.’’
In the second half, Cincinnati's skill players, speed, and press broke the Musketeers. In the first 6:30 of the second period, the Bearcats ripped off a 17-4 run that really put the game out of reach. Meanwhile, Xavier's strong guard play cracked, with Christon and Davis cramping up. Wright and Kilpatrick were all over Xavier's guards, forcing four turnovers in their first six possessions.
As the Bearcats' momentum built, the crowd (which featured much more red than navy blue) grew louder and louder. So did the Cats' confidence. UC was much more efficient in the second half, shooting 42.9%, while Xavier was burned by their inability to knock down a big shot. The Musketeers whiffed on seven three point attempts, and Redford finished just 1 of 8 from deep for the game.
But this game was decided by the guards. Kilpatrick and Wright dominated, while Christon and Davis cramped up, Redford missed opportunity after opportunity and Justin Martin was rendered useless. Coming off a concussion from the Vanderbilt game, Martin picked up a pair of fouls early in the game and was a non-factor. He never scored, and failed to produce an impact on defense -- this was made worse considering he was probably the only guy that could guard Kilpatrick.
Christon's cramps rendered him unavailable for the majority of the second half. That killed the Musketeers, who lack guard depth. He spent most of the second half on the far end of the bench, looking uninterested in what was happening on the court.
On the other end of the spectrum, Davis played his heart out. Cramping badly, and spending a stretch limping up and down the court, Davis refused to leave the game until he fouled out. At one point, he had a steal, hobbled into the lane and drained a floater. That was the last time it felt like the Musketeers might have a chance. Davis finished with 7 points, 4 assists and 3 steals. The Cats also forced 5 turnovers out of the Muskies' point guard.
The guard play was so bad, that with Davis fouling out and Christon unavailable, Redford was left to run point late in the game. Even before that, there were stretches where he had to take control to give Davis a break. Never a good sign.
"When I thought we got to the point where we became poised, that’s the point where we were dealing with guys out of position, with Justin Martin having four fouls and not being a factor in the game, Semaj at the end of the bench with cramps and Dee coming out with cramps. Guys were playing different positions,” Mack said.
Beyond Taylor's scrappy game and Davis's heart, no other Musketeer showed much for the rest of the night. Isaiah Philmore finished with 8 points and 6 rebounds, which would have been a nice line, had he gotten help from Jeff Robinson. As fans have grown accustom to, though, Robinson disappeared. He had just 6 points and 3 rebounds. Stenger came off the bench with more rebounds (4), in 12 less minutes than Robinson.
"You’ve got to take care of the ball down the stretch. Second of all, you can’t lose focus. You’ve just got to keep your teammates up. It’s a growing process. Each day, each game, you’ve got to keep growing and getting better and better," said Taylor.
Kilpatrick, meanwhile, took over the game. He was 7 of 15 in the second half (still not ideal for the Cats), finishing with 25 points, 7 points and 4 steals. Despite his scoring total, Kilpatrick took 27 shots in the game, only emphasizing the offensive inefficiency on both sides. His three pointer, however, to stop a small Xavier run and push the lead to 51-40 felt like the dagger.
His counterpart, Wright, was the best player on the court Wednesday night. He controlled the pace of the game in the second half, and UC took their cues from their senior leader. Wright finished with 15 points (5 of 11 shooting and three 3's), 6 rebounds and 4 assists.
But UC played far from a terrific game. Xavier had their chances, unable to hit a clutch shot against the deep backgrounds of US Bank Arena. Christon's cramps are far from an excuse, though had he been hydrated, he may have kept the score closer. The Musketeers played their best defensive game of the year, and probably their worst offensive game. Luckily for them, the Bearcats are the best team they will face all year. And they won't see a pressure defense like that until VCU.
The Musketeers (7-3) will attempt to regroup Saturday at 2 at the Cintas Center against the Wofford Terriers (5-6).
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