WSOU

Recap: Pirates blowout Xavier on the road, 85-68

Date: December 30, 2020

By: Ryan Henry

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Steven Branscombe/USA TODAY Sports

In a highly anticipated Big East matchup, Seton Hall pulled off the upset and beat Xavier on the road 85-68. The Pirates improve to 7-4 for the season with a 4-1 record against the Big East while Xavier loses their second straight game and falls to 8-2. This is the third straight road win for the Pirates against the Musketeers. Sandro Mamukelasvhili led all the Pirates in scoring with 18 points while grabbing seven rebounds and Zach Freemantle led the Musketeers in scoring with 20 points and nine rebounds.

 

To start off the game, Jason Carter set the tone for Musketeer’s offense. He started the game 4-4 from the floor, including two and-1’s and a three-pointer. But once Carter collided with star forward Zach Freemantle and left the game, Xavier’s offense went stagnant for the rest of the matchup. They ended the game shooting 43 percent from the field and five of 24 from behind the arc. The last five minutes of the first half put the Musketeers in a hole they were never able to get out of as they were outscored by the Pirates 15-0.

The key players for the Musketeers going into this game were Freemantle, Paul Scruggs, and Nate Johnson. Freemantle had a good performance, leading Xavier in scoring with 20 points on 50 percent shooting while grabbing nine rebounds.

 

One of the keys for the Pirates entering this game was containing the lethal guard tandem of Scruggs and Johnson. Both players could not find any offensive consistency as Scruggs finished with six points on 3-9 shooting and Johnson was scoreless, missing all five of his shots. Scruggs did have eight assists, but the Musketeers needed more from him and Johnson scoring-wise.

 

For the Pirates, it was the best-case scenario. Their offense was very balanced with six players scoring in double figures. Once again, Sandro Mamukelashvili led the team in scoring with 18 points while also grabbing seven rebounds and having a season-high three steals.

Jared Rhoden also continued his great play from the last few games, scoring 14 points on five of nine shooting and grabbing a team-high eight rebounds. He has really stepped up as the Pirate’s second scoring option and established himself as a threat alongside Mamukelashvili.

 

Harvard-transfer Bryce Aiken broke out for the Pirates tonight after struggling to find his rhythm. He had a season-high 11 points off the bench while also dishing out three assists. Hopefully, this is the beginning of the Bryce Aiken many Pirate fans anticipated to see after his amazing career at Harvard.

Two areas where Seton Hall has struggled this year, rebounding and free throws, were strengths for this Pirate team tonight. Seton Hall dominated the glass, out rebounding the Musketeers 40-28, and shot a perfect 14 of 14 from the charity stripe.

 

Xavier’s next game is Jan. 6 against St. John’s and the Pirates host Butler on Jan. 2, which will be available for Pirate fans on 89.5 FM WSOU with pre-game coverage and post-game coverage of the matchup.

Ryan Henry can be reached at ryan.henry@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Men's Basketball, Sports, WSOU

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