Xavier's men's basketball team has a strict policy this season ‒ no boring basketball.
It seems as if every game recently has come down to the final minute. It did again on Sunday in front of a sold-out Cintas Center crowd that was rewarded with an 80-76 win over No. 25 Marquette.
The win ‒ Xavier's 11th in a row ‒ was the culmination and combination of a number of factors.
There were big shots. Bigger free throws. Rebounds. Only 10 turnovers. And a defensive performance in the second half that helped keep Xavier perfect in the Big East Conference (7-0), in sole possession of first place.
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Xavier allowed 48 first-half points to Marquette's high-powered offense and the Golden Eagles led 48-44 at the break.
"It's unlike a lot of games we played this year," Xavier head coach Sean Miller said. "We struggled defensively in the first half. Had zero answers for (Marquette point guard) Tyler Kolek. He's one heck of a player. But we really fixed it in the second half.
"I would say the reason that we won the game was the distinct difference in our defense in the second half versus the first. All that does is make me ask our guys, 'Why can't we do that more often, right?'"
Miller complimented Marquette as one of college basketball's best offensive teams, and the Musketeers held the Golden Eagles to 28 points after the break on 36% shooting.
"For us to do that in the second half I think says a lot about our team and gives me hope that we can continue to develop on the defensive end," said Miller, who credited his team with guarding the ball better and making it more difficult for Marquette to drive and score at the rim in the second half.
The defense was one thing.
More late-game heroics from Souley Boum was something else entirely.
Boum scored nine of his 16 points in the final three minutes and the Musketeers went 6-for-6 at the foul line in the final 28 seconds to secure the win.
Boum hit an arena-shaking 3-pointer that gave the Musketeers a 71-68 lead with 3:11 to play. He did it again with a mid-range jumper that gave Xavier a 74-72 lead with 46 seconds left.
And in the closing seconds, Boum went 4-for-4 at the line and Adam Kunkel went 2-for-2 to keep the game out of Marquette's reach.
"(Souley's) so accurate as a shooter ... he's got a repertoire that not many guards have and he's super confident," Miller said. "I'm gonna tell you, I'm not necessarily sitting here waiting for him to miss a free throw but it's hard to make every one. It really is. It's not like he's going to the line in the first few minutes of the game. We're talking about ‒ make the free throw to win it, you know, those types, and they're difficult to make.
"He's so confident from the line. His four free throws, then AK went to the line one time and he made his. Six in a row down the stretch. We needed all six."
In the final minute in each of Xavier's last three games, Boum's gone a combined 16-of-16 at the foul line. Xavier's won its last three games by a combined 15 points.
Jack Nunge added 16 points and 13 rebounds. Nunge had eight offensive rebounds and Xavier finished with 17 offensive rebounds and 17 second-chance points.
"That's back-to-back Big East games that he's had eight offensive rebounds," Miller said of Nunge. "His effort was incredible today. He was on the floor. He saved one ball in front of our bench. His defense in the second half was a big part of it."
Miller said he believed Xavier's clearest advantage over Marquette was on the glass.
"Our advantage over Marquette we really took advantage of," said Miller. "Sometimes it looks like you can do something but you don't do it. We did that. Big storyline in the game was our 45 rebounds to their 32."
Xavier had six players score in double figures. Colby Jones had 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Kunkel had 12 points with four assists and two 3-pointers. Jerome Hunter had 11 points off the bench. Zach Freemantle had 10 points and eight boards.
The Musketeers turned the ball over only three times in the second half.
"We had 10 (turnovers) for the game," said Miller. "You start going through that. Won the rebounding battle. Played the entire game with 10 turnovers and I think our second-half defense was as good as we've been."
That makes it a lot easier to see why Xavier beat Marquette on Sunday.
At 7-0 in Big East play, the Musketeers stand alone in first place. Next week, Xavier travels to DePaul on Wednesday, then hosts Georgetown on Saturday.
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