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Martin, Christon Lead Muskies Past Fordham
2/14/2013
Justin Martin who, along with Jeff Robinson, has become the poster child for this up and down season came to life with 16 points and seven rebounds to lead Xavier to victory over Fordham 79-66. The Musketeers remain unbeaten at home in Atlantic 10 play, with Saint Louis the only conference opponent to win at the Cintas Center since the 2007-08 season.
Semaj Christon scored 19 points with five assists for the Musketeers (14-9, 7-3) to hold of a Rams team that seemingly wouldn't go away. Every time Xavier made a run, Fordham would do enough to hang in the game, often slowing the pace and waiting to shoot until the shot clock was under ten seconds.
Fordham jumped out to a 17-10 lead, and Dee Davis picked up two quick fouls, sending him to the bench early in the first half. The Musketeers missed eight of its first 11 shots, en route to the early seven point deficit. Shortly after Davis hit the bench, though, Xavier found its offensive rhythm.
Martin scored seven points during a 23-7 run, including diving onto the media table for a loose ball. That play sparked the Musketeers, who ran out to a 38-28 lead, before Fordham cut the deficit to six at halftime. Martin drilled his second three of the game (he was 3-3 from the game, and 4-5 from the field overall) to start the second period.
From there, Xavier shared the offensive load and demonstrated a rare scoring ability (albeit against a weak Rams team). Travis Taylor finished with 10 points and nine rebounds. Jeff Robinson had 10 points, including a rattling slam dunk in transition, during a run that put Xavier up by 12 more than halfway through the second half. Davis also chipped in 10, as all five starters finished in double digits for the first time since the Fairleigh Dickinson game.
Even up 15, the Musketeers could never put the Rams away. Fordham kept fighting back, pulling within 69-63 with 1:56 to go. From there, Xavier's free throw shooting actually sealed the game, instead of keeping the opponent in it. Xavier finished 27-37 from the line.
Brad Redford was able to stretch the defense some, hitting on two of his five three point attempts in 16 minutes. While not an ideal percentage from a near-elite shooter like Redford, it's enough that it will open up the lane for Christon and give Martin open looks. On a night like Wednesday, when Martin is on his game, that can make all the difference for Xavier.
Fan-favorite Landen Amos continues his impressive season, scoring his first field goal in a Musketeer uniform. Martin found him on a fast break at the end of the game and Amos slammed it home, making up for his miss against Saint Joseph's earlier in the season. He earned 15 minutes of playing time, finishing with five points and five rebounds.
Xavier makes its annual (for now) trip up 75 to UD Arena on Saturday to play the Flyers at noon on ESPN2. The crowd will be hostile, per usual. But the Flyers may not be. They are just 3-7 in the conference, featuring a last second loss to Rhode Island on Wednesday night. If the season ended now, Dayton would not be invited to the A10 tournament in Brooklyn.
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