Orlando, FL - A closely matched set of play between Dayton and Xavier by halftime hinted at the Musketeers’ end of unanswered leads.
Three minutes into the second half and XU recanted with their second largest lead of the invitational at 33 points. Sixty-three attempts were made in the field Sunday night with 33 finding their way through the net, compared to Dayton’s 44 attempts and 18 shots netted in. The Musketeers found 40 rebounds and succeeded in 9 steal attempts.
“We played a team we’re very familiar with,” Xavier head coach Chris Mack said. “It felt good with our ability to rebound the ball. Dayton uncharacteristically turned the ball over both against man and zone [which] probably led to more of their downfall.
“Our guys were ready to play. We knew we were playing against an NCAA tournament team. I have great respect for their coaching staff and the kid on their team.”
Dayton hit a dry spell for six minutes at the start of the second half, where the Musketeers built a 21-0 scoring run.
“I played Dayton my freshman year […] we stayed focused on the game and we executed. As a senior I wanted to win a championship, while knowing I’ll never play in a college thanksgiving tournament again,” forward James Farr said on the victory.
“I saw how much we were up by and I didn’t want to get into that. I just made it my will to try and get every rebound, set the best defense that I could and when I’m open to put the ball in the basket,” Farr continued on the scoring run.
Xavier University marks its first AdvoCare Invitational champion with the win Sunday night.
Three minutes into the second half and XU recanted with their second largest lead of the invitational at 33 points. Sixty-three attempts were made in the field Sunday night with 33 finding their way through the net, compared to Dayton’s 44 attempts and 18 shots netted in. The Musketeers found 40 rebounds and succeeded in 9 steal attempts.
“We played a team we’re very familiar with,” Xavier head coach Chris Mack said. “It felt good with our ability to rebound the ball. Dayton uncharacteristically turned the ball over both against man and zone [which] probably led to more of their downfall.
“Our guys were ready to play. We knew we were playing against an NCAA tournament team. I have great respect for their coaching staff and the kid on their team.”
Dayton hit a dry spell for six minutes at the start of the second half, where the Musketeers built a 21-0 scoring run.
“I played Dayton my freshman year […] we stayed focused on the game and we executed. As a senior I wanted to win a championship, while knowing I’ll never play in a college thanksgiving tournament again,” forward James Farr said on the victory.
“I saw how much we were up by and I didn’t want to get into that. I just made it my will to try and get every rebound, set the best defense that I could and when I’m open to put the ball in the basket,” Farr continued on the scoring run.
Xavier University marks its first AdvoCare Invitational champion with the win Sunday night.