March 5, 2009
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CINCINNATI (AP) - Dante Jackson scored Xavier's first 11 points for a lead that held, and the 17th-ranked Musketeers beat Dayton 76-59 on Thursday night for their third straight Atlantic 10 regular-season championship.
Xavier (24-5, 12-3) joined a short list of A10 heavyweights - no one has dominated like this since UMass and Temple in the 1990s.
The Flyers (24-6, 10-5) haven't beaten Xavier in Cincinnati since 1981, losing their last 24 games on whatever court happens to be Xavier's home. Marcus Johnson scored 19 points in the loss.
On a night when Xavier honored its two seniors, the underclassmen kept them ahead most of the game. Jackson led the way, finishing with 14 points.
The Musketeers put it away with a late surge by B.J. Raymond, a senior who forced shots while trying to make a final impression and opened the game in a 1-for-10 drought. He made 3s on consecutive possessions, pushing the lead to 65-52 with 4:23 left, and finished with 14 points.
The night started with taunting and ended with the title. The student section chanted "Three! Three!" while a spray of blue, silver and white confetti fell from overhead.
It's the most-played basketball rivalry for both schools, one that had gained an edge with Xavier's recent domination. Three weeks earlier, the Flyers stood on the courtside media tables in celebration after their 13-point victory at UD Arena ended Xavier's streak of six straight wins in the series.
There was some carry-over in the rematch. Players from both teams talked trash at midcourt during the initial round of pregame warmups Thursday. Assistant coaches stepped between them so it wouldn't escalate, and the teams went back to the locker rooms for instruction. When they returned, the three officials stood between the teams at midcourt.
Then, the players most familiar with the rivalry had the least to do with it.
The Musketeers honored seniors C.J. Anderson and Raymond before their final home game, then watched Jackson, a sophomore, get them off to a fast start. Jackson scored Xavier's first 11 points, making three 3s on the way to an 11-2 lead. The three 3s matched Xavier's total for the game in Dayton.
Just like that, a night for the seniors was taken over by the underclassmen.
Raymond, Anderson and junior Derrick Brown combined for only six points in the first half. While they struggled, the next wave of Musketeers - the ones who will try to make it four in a row next season - closed in on title No. 3.
Freshmen Terrell Holloway, Brad Redford and Kenny Frease, along with Jackson and sophomore Jamel McLean, helped Xavier stretch the lead to 40-27 at halftime. Jackson had 11 points and McLean added 10, including two driving dunks.
Instead of applying the pressure on defense, Dayton was feeling it the other way. The Flyers don't shoot particularly well and rely on turnovers to produce points. They lost the ball 12 times in the first half, helping Xavier take control.
Chris Wright, the Flyers' leading scorer, picked up his third foul with 16:53 to go, heading to the bench with only two points. Wright returned and made a driving dunk, starting a six-point run that cut the lead to 47-41.
Wright's dunk was the first of two on the night for the high-flying sophomore, lifting one past Sean Finn into sole posession of the Flyer single-season dunk record with 44. Dayton's five dunks in the game gives them 104 on the season.
The Flyers will close the regular season Saturday at home against Duquesne. The Senior Night tip-off is 8 p.m. ET.
