All 40 minutes that make up a basketball game are important, but winning time is often when games are decided and on Saturday evening winning time was what mattered most in Xavier's 80-71 win over Marquette.
With Xavier nursing a 70-69 lead with 3:03 to play, the Musketeers went on a 6-0 run to put the game on ice.
A crafty give-and-go from Colby Jones to Nate Johnson and back to Jones for a floater in the lane started it, and after Marquette missed a 3-pointer, Johnson made a no-look pass that fooled every one in the gym to get Jack Nunge an uncontested slam.
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Nunge blocked a shot at the other end of the floor and the Golden Eagles were forced to foul.
Sophomore guard Dwon Odom went to the line and hit a pair of free throws, putting a bow on a career-high 19 points that pushed Xavier's lead to 76-69 with 1:11 left.
A jumper from Marquette's Greg Elliott made it 76-71 and out of a Xavier timeout, Odom made a special play to put the finishing touch on a special game.
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Odom, who spent the 21 minutes he was on the floor living in the paint, drove into the teeth of Marquette's defense and as the Golden Eagles collapsed around him, Odom tossed it over the top to Johnson in the corner for 3.
Johnson finished with 17 points (4-of-7 from 3), five rebounds and four assists. Jones had 11 points and eight boards. Nunge posted another double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
The Enquirer will update this story.
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