12.03.22

CINCINNATI –Souley Boum and Jack Nunge combined for 40 points and 18 rebounds on Saturday night, leading the Musketeers to an 84-74 win over West Virginia in the BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle. Xavier improved to 6-3 on the year, while West Virginia dropped to 6-2.

Xavier opened the game by scoring four unanswered points before West Virginia went on an 11-2 run, taking an 11-6 lead at the 16:53 mark. The Mountaineers led by as many as 11 points (41-30) with 2:42 left in the first half before the Musketeers closed within seven points (43-36) at the break.

The Musketeers hit seven of their first nine shots coming out of the locker room, outscoring the Mountaineers, 20-12, to regain the lead (56-55) at the 12:53 mark. The remainder of the game had two ties and four lead changes with the final tie at 70-70 with 5:41 left in regulation.

Xavier finished the game on a 14-4 run to pull away for the 10-point victory. Xavier was 2-for-3 from the floor and 9-for-12 from the foul line during the run. 

The Musketeers hit 62.5 percent (15-for-24) of their second-half shot attempts to engineer the come-from-behind victory. Defensively, Xavier limited the Mountaineers to a .387 (12-for-31) field-goal percentage in the second half.

NOTABLES

Souley Boum matched his season high in scoring with 23 points (was also the game high vs West Virginia). The guard was 5-for-8 from the floor and 11-for-14 from the foul line. He added a season-high seven assists to go along with four rebounds. Boum has now scored 20 or more points in a game four times this season.

• Jack Nunge posted his first double-double of the season and the seventh of his career, posting 17 points and a season-high 14 rebounds. The forward was 7-for-9 from the floor with a three pointer. He also had two blocks and two steals.

• Colby Jones added 14 points, four assists and three rebounds. Adam Kunkel chipped in 11 points, four rebounds and three assists. 

• Xavier finished the game with a .538 field-goal percentage (28-for-52), the team’s seventh game of the season shooting over 50 percent from the floor. The Musketeers were also 5-for-12 from behind the arc and 23-for-30 from the foul line. 

• Xavier held a 17-9 advantage in points off of turnovers and scored eight more second-chance points (14-6). The Musketeers also won the battle on the glass, 34-28.

• Xavier scored 10 more points in the paint (42-32) and held a 14-13 advantage in fastbreak points.

UP NEXT FOR MUSKETEERS

The Musketeers return to action at Cincinnati on Saturday, Dec. 10 in the Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m. from Fifth Third Arena. The game will be aired nationally on ESPN2.

COURTESY XAVIER ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS