|
X Survives Marist Comeback, Wins Season Opener 66–62
By
Musketeer Madness,
11/3/2025
Xavier opened the Richard Pitino era with a win — but it didn’t come easy. The Musketeers built a big lead, lost nearly all of it, and held on late to beat Marist 66–62 in Monday night’s season opener at the Cintas Center.
Senior guard Malik Messina-Moore led Xavier with 16 points, going 4-of-10 from the field and a perfect 7-for-7 from the free-throw line. Bench spark All Wright added 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting - including 4-of-5 from three-point range - while Jovan Milicevic chipped in 14 points and 4 rebounds, hitting 6-of-7 free throws. The Musketeers shot just 34% overall and 27% from three, but their 23-of-32 performance at the foul line proved the difference.
Xavier led 29-19 at halftime after closing the first half on a 14-3 run, then stretched the advantage to as many as 18 early in the second half. But Marist refused to go away. The Red Foxes ripped off a 13-0 run, fueled by guard Rhyjon Blackwell’s 24 points on 7-of-11 shooting, to briefly take a 60-59 lead with just over three minutes left.
From there, the Musketeers clamped down defensively and closed the game at the line. Messina-Moore and Milicevic combined to go 4-for-4 on free throws in the final minute to secure Pitino’s first victory as Xavier’s head coach. Xavier overcame 11 turnovers, scored 15 points off takeaways, and outscored Marist 28-24 in bench points. Marist finished shooting 47.7% from the field but managed just 3-of-10 from beyond the arc and 17-of-25 at the stripe.
Despite the uneven performance, Xavier did enough to avoid an opening-night upset. The Musketeers (1-0) return to action Thursday against Le Moyne. Game time is set for 7:00 pm at Cintas Center.
|
|
