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Redford, Muskies Bury Colonials
1/13/2013
After weeks of offensive struggles, the Musketeers look to be coming out of their shell recently. The latest evidence was a deadly offensive showing against George Washington. Xavier shellacked the Colonials 71-56.
The score never really indicated how much the game was a mismatch. Xavier (9-6, 2-0) has picked up where it seemingly always is in conference play. Dominant and unflappable, particularly at the Cintas Center. Just ask George Washington (7-8, 1-1) and Temple.
“Our kids had the right mentality these last 72 hours. And hopefully they see the benefits and will continue to play with this chip-on-the-shoulder mentality," said Coach Chris Mack.
Leading the charge offensively were two players that had struggled in more recent weeks. Brad Redford set personal highs with seven made three pointers (in eight attempts) and 21 points overall. He also saw a lot of action running the offense, since Dee Davis was inactive and Mack was forced to spell Semaj Christon to avoid more cramping issues and foul trouble.
Despite his seemingly limited offensive abilities, Redford looked more than comfortable in the role as a senior leader. Xavier will need more of that. They're also going to need a lot of his shots to keep falling, even if they don't come at the rate they did Saturday afternoon.
“I got a rhythm going but really my teammates did an unbelievable job finding me, especially in that second half when they went zone. They did a good job of getting the ball to the right spots and I was fortunate enough to knock some down tonight," Redford said.
Helping Redford to shred that zone was the ever-enigmatic Jeff Robinson, who came to play against the Colonials. Robinson finished with 14 points, 6 rebounds and even a pair of steals. More importantly he found his confidence, knocking down several 15-foot jump shots early in the game. That and a thunderous dunk helped contribute to a nice day offensive for the senior forward, who was 6-9 from the field.
“I really liked Jeff’s mentality more than anything over the last few games. Not necessarily his scoring or anything like that, but he’s just been more aggressive," said Mack.
When Robinson has that aggression, Xavier's offense completely changes. Particularly if he's knocking down those outside shots. The defense is forced to spread out more, which allows someone like Christon to go to work.
The freshman sensation was a solid 9-13 from the field and finished with 21 points and 7 assists (to 5 turnovers). Free throws continued to bug him (2-6), but he drilled a rare three pointer and showed improvement in his mid-range game, knocking down a couple jump shots. Of course, he is still elite in getting to the hoop, which he showed off against the Colonials.
Xavier's efficiency allowed for Travis Taylor to assert himself in different ways, even when he couldn't really get his game clicking. Taylor pulled down 11 rebounds and dished out a career high six assists, often finding Redford on kick outs for a big three.
“In my eyes, I see it as when Brad catches the ball and shoots the ball, it’s going in every single time. When he shoots a 3-pointer, before he even gets his feet set, the excitement is just ridiculous. When he steps in the gym, I tell him every time, ‘You’re in your range.’ I’m just glad he played like that tonight," Taylor said.
On a day like Saturday, when seemingly everything is clicking for the Musketeers, it's difficult to see how they have dropped so many close games. Nonetheless, the Musketeers remain a work in progress.
"Certainly we've lost some second half leads, and you could see the steam coming out of our guys a little bit because of two games in three days, against a very physical GW team, down a man. Give the kids a lot of credit in the locker room because they played hard," Mack said.
Xavier could have folded, particularly as the Colonials pulled within eight late in the second half. With no production from Justin Martin (1-4, three fouls in just 12 minutes of play) and no Davis, the Muskies could have felt the pressure as they have in the past. Instead, they persevered.
"One guy goes out we all make changes. Our mentality on the defensive end always has to stay the same. Even during our losing streak we were holding teams in the fifties. You can stay in games, we didn't close them, we didn't win them, but you can stay in games that way. And we're a really good defensive team," Mack said.
Xavier will need that strong defensive team and next man up mentality all season, if they are to make a deep run in the A10 and want any shot at the NCAA's. While it seems like a long shot, it's not difficult to imagine, particularly when Xavier shoots 57.1%, holds a team to 38.6% shooting, and outrebounds them (33-28).
These are the games the Musketeers have to win. They took care of business on Saturday. Any shot the rest of the season has to start with their defense, offensive efficiency and hammering the boards. Whether or not they can sustain a run is yet to be seen, however.
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