Xavier got off to a dominant start vs Jackson State, building a 14-2 lead in the games first 4
minutes. Junior guard Ryan Conwell got the scoring going for Xavier, with a made three on their first two possessions. Xavier consistently pushed the ball off of missed shots, getting clean looks in the paint and from three on offense. Xavier's bench unit played solid man-to-man defense, with quick rotations and closeouts throughout the first half. Senior transfer John Hugley IV made an instant impact off the bench, scoring a contested layup and mid-range jumper within his first 4 minutes of playing time, while playing physical post defense on the other end.
Xavier continued to turn defense to offense, with Dailyn Swain making a few impressive plays
and dropping off a nice assist to Zach Freemantle with 9:57 left in the first half. Their ball
movement was impressive, with 9 of their first 10 field goals coming by way of assist. Zach
Freemantle caught fire mid-way through the 1st half, draining two straight threes from the top of the key to extend Xavier's lead to 19 points with 6:47 left in the half. Sophomore guard Trey
Green provided a boost off the bench with an impressive scoop layup, spot up three pointer, and an alley-oop pass to Zach Freemantle. He applied constant ball pressure on Jackson State's point guard in his 1st half minutes. Backup big man John Hugley IV continued to make an impact for Xavier, with a layup and free throw to make the score 40-25. Xavier ended the half with live ball turnovers on their final two possessions, with the second one being cleaned up by a highlight chase down block from John Hugley IV as the 1st half horn sounded. Xavier played excellent team basketball in the first half, with 14 assists on 15 made shots. Big men Zach Freemantle (15 points) and John Hugley IV (7 points) led the way for Xavier, as they held a 40-25 lead at the half.
Zach Freemantles’ hot shooting from deep carried over to the 2nd half, as he drained his 4th
three on Xavier's’ first possession after the break. Dailyn Swain got in the scoring column for the Musketeers with an impressive two-handed dunk, followed by a left-handed scoop layup in transition. Swain threw a no-look bounce pass to Ryan Conwell for a layup, extending Xavier's lead to 24 with 17:24 remaining in the game. Xavier kept good spacing while playing 4-out 1-in offense in the second half, forcing Jackson State to play one-on-one defense on Freemantle and Hugley IV. They ran off-ball screening actions to create good looks for their guards as they extended their lead, with Trey Green hitting two deep threes and backup transfer guard Dante Maddox Jr. making three shots from downtown. Green impressed as a ball-handler and finisher in isolation situations as well.
Xavier played hard defense till the final buzzer, with Jackson State shooting 8/32 (25.0%) from
the field in the second half, and 19/66 (28.8%) on the night. Jayme Mitchell Jr. was the standout player for Jackson State, pouring in an efficient 26 points on 7/16 shooting from the field, along with 5 made threes. Mitchell was Jackson State's only double-digit scorer in the contest. Xavier had 6 players in double digits, as Zach Freemantle led the pack with 21 points. Sophomore forward Dailyn Swain recorded his first collegiate double-double with 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. The Final Score being 94-57. Xavier will look to start the season 4-0, as they take on Wake Forest at home this Saturday.
Written by: Adam Simmons
Comments