Quincy Olivari scored 17 points and Dailyn Swain supplied 15 as Xavier defeated Jacksonville 79-56 on Friday night in Cincinnati.
Olivari went just 3-for-9 from the field but took advantage of his opportunities at the free-throw line, draining 9 of 10 foul shots. He also had four rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Swain was much more efficient, making 4 of 6 shots, including 2 of 3 from long range. He added a block and three steals.
Desmond Claude chipped in 12 points for the Musketeers (2-0), who prevailed despite shooting just 39.7 percent from the floor and 24.1 percent (7 of 29) from deep.
Robert McCray V paced the Dolphins (1-1) with 15 points and eight rebounds. Bryce Workman notched 10 points and seven boards, but no one else managed to score in double figures for Jacksonville, which converted 34.8 percent of its field-goal attempts and 20 percent (3 of 15) from behind the arc.
McCray made good on a pair of layups to help the Dolphins score 14 of the first 22 points of the second half, allowing them to pull within 45-40.
But Xavier responded with a gut punch, rattling off seven unanswered points to restore a 12-point advantage.
A pair of jumpers from Workman made it a nine-point game, but Claude headlined a 7-0 Musketeers run that essentially sealed the victory.
Xavier led by as many as 24 points down the stretch.
Jarius Cook canned a 3-pointer with 34 seconds remaining in the first half, but the Musketeers still took a comfortable 37-26 lead into the break.
Olivari led all scorers with 10 points through the first 20 minutes of action, and Xavier reaped the benefits of 11 offensive rebounds, scoring 10 second-chance points in the opening period.
The Musketeers created some separation with a 12-4 run that Trey Green capped with an acrobatic layup, going up 22-10 with 10:55 left in the first half.
Cook sank a pair of free throws and McCray converted a layup to chisel Jacksonville’s deficit down to eight, but just under five minutes later, Xavier had the lead up to 15.
–Field Level Media
