Xavier men's basketball took the floor Wednesday night with its newly acquired antibodies following last week's highly contagious trip to New York, and what a difference a week made as the Musketeers manhandled Central Michigan 78-45.
The Musketeers started the game 3-for-3 from 3-point range and quickly built a 23-3 lead.
Nate Johnson, who hit the game-winner on Friday against Virginia Tech, picked up right where he left off with a 3-pointer to open the game and proceeded to drain three first-half 3-pointers as Xavier pieced together a 41-25 halftime lead. It continued in the second half with Johnson finishing 5-of-8 from beyond the arc for a game-high 24 points.
It was the second game in a row where Johnson was hotter than Harry Potter staring down a dragon. The fifth-year senior has averaged 27.0 points and he's 12-of-19 from 3-point range in Xavier's last two games.
Xavier went 12-of-26 as a team from 3-point land and five different Musketeers hit from deep. Xavier forced 21 Central Michigan turnovers and scored 24 points off them.
Colby Jones and Jack Nunge were really good again. Jones, who missed Friday's game due to illness, was a menace on Wednesday. His passing initially told the story, then he started working for his shot and rebounding. Jones finished with nine points, seven assists and six rebounds. Nunge was steady like he's been all season, posting 10 points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes.
Jerome Hunter, who entered Wednesday's game 2-for-20 from beyond the arc, knocked down his first two looks from deep and finished with eight points and six boards.
Zach Freemantle made his season debut. He played six minutes and went 0-for-2 from the field but had a nice assist.
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