X etch out a close one

The nationally ranked Xavier Musketeers took care of the Colonials on Saturday, but it wasn't without a fight. GW came within striking distance late in the game, but X came out on top 74-66, led by the unbelievable and seemingly infallible Drew Lavender, the final score cushioned by the culminating classlessness of Derrick Brown. More notes after the jump.

-Again, another stellar home defensive effort right? Or another example of offensive inefficiency? We battle a chicken-or-egg conundum, but I think it's time we start to credit GW defense at home, when well-oiled Musketeers begin to falter.
-The biggest story of the night was undoubtedly the resurgence of Mr. Rice. He made big shots, grabbed big boards, shook off mistakes, and kept his team in it. Undoubtedly his best performance to date.
-I was VERY pleased with the student turn out (although at many points it seemed that the upper section made more noise than the earlier arrivals below).
-I'm beginning to think that our own X (Alexander) is being punished, perhaps breaking another unspecified team rule like the one that kept Mr. Rice out of two games this season. Yet to see action in 2008, this may be a more significant infraction.
-Rob Diggs' one-hand, follow-up, and-one Dunk was a sight for sore eyes. Boy can get up!
-X got the threes they needed when they needed them, including some challenged looks by Duncan and Lavender late in the 2nd half.
-Maybe I miss Carl, or I'm really excited about Tony/Travis next season, but I can't get the play of Drew Lavender out of my mind. It wasn't one of his best shooting nights and usually a lock from the line, he missed two. Still, he had the poise to bring his team through a surprisingly resilient GW.
-It was that end-of-game resilience that hearkened back to years past. X hits a big shot, GW would quickly bring the ball up-court (but not toss it away as in previous big games) and respond with a big shot of their own, or if they missed, grab an aggressive O-board (Spoon, Moore, Rice, and Hollis come to mind).
-As Hobbs said during the post game radio interview, the team appears to be getting better each game.
-For the most part of the game, Mr. Wilmore and Mr. Moore seemed to play with the fear of Hobbs in their hearts. Thankfully they ignored ill-advised shots, but appeared to fear their advised shots. On one set early on, Moore seemed to hesitate about the open three only to seemingly reconsider a nano-second later with the defender that much closer. On the break (I know a transition game, almost forgot what that was like!), Rice drops it down to Wilmore who shakily lays it up as it hits front iron before bouncing in. Later in the game, Moore was able to assert himself with an energetic rebound and emphatic 3 pt shot. Wilmore was not. All in all, good to see both players contributing a bit outside of their usual "roles."
-Spoon. Man, he's such an anchor.
-Damien had another good game on the boards, but his biggest accomplishments came from getting inside, getting fouled, and nailing BIG free-throws. Hollis confidently sunk 7/8 from the line. GW needs him to get to the line 4-5 times a game.
-Joe "says No" Katuka needs a nickname. Sometimes I kind of wish he wagged his finger like Mutumbo, but I'm glad he prefers to scramble up-court as fast as possible. He's beginning to establish himself down-low on the defensive with boards and blocks and contributing congestion on the offensive end with high-post screens for Hollis and Diggs. He had twice as many blocks as all of Xavier during the game (2 to X's 1).


Other Notes at GW Hoops
Article One at ESPN
Article Two at ESPN