Spokesman-Review
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Xavier 96, Colorado 69
When: 5:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 9, 2017
Where: Cintas Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Officials: # Jeff Clark, # Brian O'Connell, # Tony Chiazza
Attendance: 10228

CINCINNATI -- The Xavier Musketeers' nonconference revenge tour is complete.

Trevon Bluiett scored 25 points and J.P. Macura added 17, lifting No. 13 Xavier to a 96-69 victory over Colorado on Saturday at Cintas Center.

Tyrique Jones scored 11 points and had seven rebounds for the Musketeers, who got revenge for a 68-66 loss to the Buffaloes last season in Boulder.

"Really pleased with the win," Xavier coach Chris Mack said. "We beat a well-coached team, a really young team. They really kept fighting, almost got it to single digits in the second half."

Xavier already this season has avenged 2016 losses to Cincinnati, Baylor, and now Colorado. The Musketeers also repaid Wisconsin for a loss in the NCAA Tournament two years ago with a win over the Badgers in November.

"Coming into this year, we knew we'd have a tough schedule," Bluiett said. "We circled these games on the calendar. Those were our get-back games."

Xavier (9-1) ambushed Colorado in the first five minutes on Saturday.

Macura, who scored 11 combined points over the last two games, had seven of Xavier's first nine points on Saturday.

"We know they're one of the most physical teams in the Pac-12," Bluiett said. "Our goal was to drive the ball, and take advantage of their lack of size and experience and use that against them."

Bluiett hit consecutive 3s as the Musketeers began the night 5 of 6 from 3-point range to build a 31-10 lead. Colorado had eight turnovers in the first 10 minutes, leading to 13 Xavier points.

"They come at you like a freight train," Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. "They whipped us in every facet."

The Buffaloes (7-2) hadn't allowed more than 38 points in the first half.

Xavier eclipsed 38 points in the first seven minutes of Wednesday night's game and led 49-33 at halftime behind 17 points from Macura and 13 from Bluiett.

"We thought it was important to pressure the ball more early in the game," Mack said. "It's Colorado's second true road game. They started three freshmen. We really put them on their heels early."

Xavier's defensive intensity lapsed in the latter stages of the first half as a 26-point lead was reduced to 16. The Musketeers also had just one field goal in the final five minutes of the half.

George King scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half for the Buffaloes.

The Musketeers' defensive intensity ebbed and flowed throughout Saturday's game.

Xavier put its foot back on the pedal early in the second half when Quentin Goodin's pass to O'Mara, who dunked it home, made the score 65-45 with fewer than 14 minutes left.

O'Mara scored 10 points. Goodin also had 10, and finished with eight assists, one shy of a season high.

"Quentin Goodin is very underappreciated but a lot of people around the country," Mack said. "He's really good, and he's getting better and better. He creates shots for his teammates. He's strong, he can get in the lane at will."

The Buffaloes made a mini run in the second half when a pair of 3-pointers by Dominique Collier and a layup by Wright during an 11-2 run brought them to within 69-56 with 11:02 left but Colorado got no closer.

Xavier has won four straight games.

"We needed a high level of concentration, and a high level of toughness, and we had neither," Boyle said. "We'll take our whipping and go home."

NOTES: In the past three games, Xavier has outscored its opponents 40-21 in the first five minutes. ... Colorado faced its first ranked opponent this season after going 3-5 vs. ranked foes last year. ... The Buffaloes have 15 wins over ranked opponents in coach Tad Boyle's six seasons. ... Xavier has won 37 straight nonconference home games dating to the 2012-13 season. ... Colorado came in leading all Pac-12 teams in scoring defense at 66.4 points per game.
Top Game Performances
 
Colorado   Xavier
Namon Wright 20 Scoring Trevon Bluiett 25
McKinley Wright IV 5 Assists Quentin Goodin 8
George King 8 Rebounds Trevon Bluiett 7
George King 4 Free Throws Made Trevon Bluiett 6
Namon Wright 6 Steals Kaiser Gates 2
Dallas Walton 2 Blocks Trevon Bluiett 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Colorado 69 38.5 8-28 11-14 8 28 6 7 16
Xavier 96 60.3 9-14 17-24 16 33 3 9 12