Cavaliers Fall to No. 22 Xavier 84-70

Story Links

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) –B.J. Raymond scored 24 points and hit four of No. 22 Xavier’s nine 3-pointers, and the Musketeers took a big early lead before beating Virginia 84-70 on Saturday.

The Musketeers (11-2) missed their first nine shots, but trailed only 6-2 when Raymond finally broke the ice with a basket in the lane with 15:14 left. It sparked a 23-2 run, with the last 19 coming in succession, as Xavier cruised to a 23-8 lead midway through the half.

Virginia (6-5) never challenged again, failing to avenge a loss last season that rated as one of its low points. In Ohio, the Musketeers led 61-30 by halftime, extended their lead to as many as 43 thereafter and tied a school record with 16 3-pointers in a 108-70 victory.

This time, the Musketeers had a 42-26 advantage at the break, in part thanks to a 9-4 burst to end it by Virginia. Xavier then opened the second half on an 18-6 run to lead 60-32.

Raymond finished the run with a jumper right after teammate Derrick Brown scored on a soaring one-handed dunk that caused even the fans at John Paul Jones Arena to roar.

Sylven Landesberg led Virginia with 25 points and Mike Scott had 16, but the Cavaliers shot just 37.5 percent in their first outing since winning 88-84 at Georgia Tech on Dec. 28.

Kenny Frease added 13 points and eight rebounds for Xavier, which will open its Atlantic 10 schedule Thursday night against Saint Louis. Dante Jackson also had 13 for the Musketeers.