A little bit of fight can go a long way. It certainly did on Wednesday night.
For about the first 30 minutes, the situation looked dire for Xavier, a team that had lost two straight Big East Conference games.
The way the Musketeers were shooting it, the basket might as well have been stationed in the upper deck of Cintas Center, and the way they were taking care of the basketball, it's a miracle that 19 turnovers didn't dig Xavier's own grave.
But, in a surprising turn of events, defense, rebounding, and a late spark from two freshmen and two transfers lifted Xavier over St. John's, 69-61, to help the Musketeers improve to 9-2 (2-2 Big East).
"I was proud of our guys' fight," said Xavier head coach Travis Steele. "It wasn't a pretty game at all. Give St. John's a lot of credit. I thought they really defended us well. They made the game choppy ... but our guys found a way."
To say Xavier had an off night offensively wouldn't entirely do it justice. The Musketeers went 0 for 12 from beyond the arc, making Wednesday's win the first time Xavier went without a 3-pointer in a game since Feb. 2, 2000, against Dayton.
Unlike the last time the Musketeers were on the floor in a lopsided loss to Seton Hall, Xavier was able to survive a bad shooting night with its defense and rebounding.
The Musketeers out-rebounded St. John's 57-40 and they held the Red Storm to just 11 points over the final nine minutes of the game.
"Our defense was better, our rebounding was better," said Steele. "Now, that has to be consistent for us moving forward for us to have success in the Big East. We're gonna start making shots, I do not worry about that with this team.
"... I do worry about the rebounding and the defense and I thought we took a step in the right direction in both those areas."
St. John's had a 50-46 lead with 9:31 left in the game when Xavier finally found the right gear, and it was an unexpected group of heroes that helped ignite a 17-1 Xavier run that allowed the Musketeers take control of the game.
"I thought our zone (defense) was really effective during that stretch there," said Steele. "There was a lot of fouls called tonight and I wanted to try to keep them off the (foul) line because they just drive the ball relentlessly."
Xavier was also able to capitalize at the other end of the floor after its defense got stops.
"Our space was good and we started to share the basketball a little bit," said Steele. "I think (St. John's) had maybe eight blocks in the first half. That tells you that we're not making the right decisions, somebody else is open."
Xavier's game-winning run was led by Colby Jones, Dwon Odom, Bryan Griffin and Jason Carter.
Odom and Jones – both freshmen – got the ball rolling offensively with some intelligent plays and decisive scoring. Griffin and Carter – both transfers – controlled the paint at both ends of the floor.
Jones finished with a career-high 16 points, four rebounds and three assists. Odom added 11 points and five rebounds.
"I thought Colby and Dwon were terrific," said Steele. "They really stepped up and made some big plays."
Jones had eight second-half points and Odom had nine points in the final 11 minutes, including a highlight-reel dunk in transition over a St. John's defender with 1:22 left in the game.
It was the first time this season that Griffin's been on the floor down the stretch in a close game, and he made the most of it.
"I thought Bryan Griffin gave us a huge lift there towards the end of the game ... with his presence around the rim defensively and on the glass," said Steele. "I keep telling our guys every single game it's gonna be different guys (on) different nights."
Griffin finished with seven points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots, filling in nicely for sophomore Zach Freemantle, who had an off night with five points and 10 rebounds.
But, arguably the most impactful performance came from Carter, who finished with 11 points and 16 rebounds.
"I was really proud of Jason Carter," said Steele. "Man, he got every loose ball, every single one of them."
Steele said rebounding was a main area of focus after the Seton Hall loss.
"I felt like we had gotten way out-toughed in the previous game against Seton Hall and I loved the fight we showed on the glass tonight," Steele said.
Jones, Odom, Griffin and Carter combined for 30 of the Musketeers' 42 points in the second half.
On another night when shots weren't falling and the Musketeers' three leading scorers – Freemantle, Paul Scruggs and Nate Johnson – clearly weren't comfortable, Xavier got meaningful production from its other parts.
"It felt like it had been forever since we'd won and you want to keep the rhythm and flow of your team going, and it's hard this year to keep your confidence as a team," said Steele. "I think that's so important. For us to find a way to win with a very poor shooting night is a good sign for us."
The Musketeers are back in action on Sunday against Providence at Cintas Center.
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