Xavier basketball hadn't beaten Seton Hall at the Cintas Center since 2018, but the Pirates' Cincinnati winning streak ended Tuesday.
The Musketeers held off the Seton Hall Pirates, 73-70, in a back-and-forth contest that featured nine lead changes in front of a crowd of 10,224. Senior Zach Freemantle led all scorers with 23 points (10 of 15 shooting) while graduate transfer and junior guard Colby Jones scored 16 points (6 of 10).
Reigning Big East Player of the Week Souley Boom added 10 points, and the Musketeers also enjoyed a second-half flourish from senior forward Jerome Hunter (11 points, five rebounds) in almost 17 minutes of action off the bench.
The win pushed Xavier to 10-3 overall and 2-0 in the Big East, where they joined Providence and Connecticut with unblemished, 2-0 league records.
"I thought it was a typical Big East battle. That's the game I remember playing in a long, long time ago," Xavier head coach Sean Miller said afterward. "As I watched from my recent perspective, certainly that's how the game felt to me − tough-minded, both teams making big plays. Seton Hall deserves a lot of credit. They're tough-minded, hard-playing group. Really respect their effort level and the way they go about things."
The Xavier win also stopped the Pirates' four-game winning streak in Cintas Center, the most recent of which was a 14-point loss in February by the Musketeers.
"We always say 'we don't lose here.' This is our home,'" Freemantle said. "I remember when I was getting recruited (to Xavier), they were telling me about the winning percentage and all that. We can't lose here. It's point-blank, period."
Seton Hall was led in scoring by Kadary Richmond (17 points, 7 of 10 shooting), returned to South Orange, New Jersey at 7-6 overall and 0-2 in the league.
With a narrow 71-70 lead and Seton Hall inbounding and 14 seconds to play, Richmond drove to the basket but was whistled for a travel due to Jones' tight defense.
"Just to watch (Jones) fight through it was inspiring and, defensively, he made the biggest play of the game," Miller said. "Up one, Kadary Richmond driving, Colby beat him to the spot, didn't foul and created a turnover. I think that's the epitome of a two-way player."
The Musketeers' ensuing inbound with five seconds to play went to senior guard Adam Kunkel, who made his free throws with 3.7 seconds left to play, and Seton Hall's last-gasp attempt to knot the contest at 73 missed.
That was the final act in a game that didn't see either team open a lead larger than eight points.
Miller credited most of his starters in his postgame remarks but said Hunter was one of the stars on a night when Jack Nunge didn't make a field goal and finished with four points.
"Jerome in some ways was almost the player of the game for us because we really needed him," Miller said. "He came in the game. Played the three position, played the four position, did a good job on defense and then scored 11 points, so he was big."
Xavier led at halftime, 37-34, on the strength of 14 points from Freemantle and eight points apiece from Boum and Jones.
The three-point advantage left something to be desired considering Xavier led by eight points at multiple junctures in the period.
Turnovers accumulated for the Musketeers. They finished the half with six en route to finishing the night with 20.
Seton Hall also bossed Xavier's defense in the paint, outscoring the hosts, 24-16, in that area. That margin swelled to 42-32 in the Pirates' favor by night's end.
"We had to match their toughness," Freemantle said. "We know what kind of basketball Seton Hall plays. Coach had us ready for it all week leading up into this. We just had to match their physicality, their toughness and do our best in bringing it to them and not letting them throw the first punch."
Xavier’s next game is a Dec. 28 date at St. John’s Carnesecca Arena in Queens, New York.
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