Marshall Thundering Herd vs Xavier Musketeers Box Score on Dec 19, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Dec 19, 2017

CINCINNATI -- Kerem Kanter scored 16 points and had a career-high 13 rebounds, and Tyrique Jones added 14 points and 11 boards as ninth-ranked Xavier overcame some key injuries to defeat Marshall 81-77 on Tuesday night at Cintas Center.

Kanter recorded his second double-double of the season. Sean O'Mara and Quentin Goodin each scored 14 points, helping Xavier (11-1) win its sixth straight game.

The Musketeers are banged up with a tough road game Friday at Northern Iowa.

Xavier played Tuesday's game without forward Kaiser Gates and guard J.P. Macura, who suffered head injuries during Saturday's win over East Tennessee State.

Jones also was hobbled by a knee injury and freshman guard Naji Marshall did not play in the second half due to a back injury after scoring seven points before halftime.

C.J. Burks scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half to help Marshall rally to make it close at the end. Ajdin Penava led Marshall (8-4) with 25 points and Jon Elmore added 16.

With Macura out, it figured to be a big night for Naji Marshall, who scored five points in the first five minutes including a 3-pointer to give Xavier an early 12-5 lead.

Xavier frustrated Marshall in the first half by keeping them mired in half-court offense. The Musketeers' 1-3-1 zone flustered the Thundering Herd, who went 3 of 18 from 3-point range and shot 30 percent in the half.

Xavier led 47-27 at halftime behind 12 points from O'Mara and 10 each from Jones and Bluiett. The Musketeers outscored Marshall 24-12 in the paint.

Elmore who came in averaging 24.2 points and 7.5 assists, had eight points and two assists in the first half.

It certainly wasn't pretty, but Xavier preferred a slugfest on Tuesday, particularly with the Thundering Herd wanting to push the pace.

The Musketeers shot only 29.2 percent in the second half, allowing Marshall to creep back into the game. Elmore hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to make the final score seem closer than it was.

NOTES: Marshall scored a season-low 27 points in the first half. ... Xavier graduate F Kerem Kanter and freshman G Naji Marshall made their first starts of the season. ... The Musketeers have won 39 straight non-conference home games dating to the 2012 season. ... Entering Saturday's game, the Musketeers ranked second in the Big East and 10th nationally in scoring offense at 90.4 points. ... Marshall entered the game ranked 10th nationally in scoring offense at 90.2 points.