Zach Freemantle and Ryan Conwell scored 14 points apiece to help Xavier shoot its way past Butler 76-63 on Tuesday in Cincinnati.
Xavier blew the game open in the middle of the first half with a 24-2 stretch over a six-minute span. The Musketeers shot 54.8 percent (17-for-31) in the half but just 42.6 percent (29-for-68) for the game.
Dailyn Swain and Dayvion McKnight added 13 points apiece for the Musketeers (17-10, 9-7 Big East), who won their third straight contest while snapping the Bulldogs’ three-game winning streak. Swain added seven rebounds, four assists and a career-high six steals.
Jahmyl Telfort scored a game-high 20 for Butler (12-14, 5-10). Pierre Brooks II and Finley Bizjack each scored 14, but the Bulldogs lost 20 turnovers that Xavier converted into 21 points.
Butler led by as many as five early and went ahead 19-17 on Telfort’s second 3-pointer of the contest with 12:48 left before halftime.
That was the last field goal the Bulldogs would make for the next 7:11 of game time, as they missed 10 shots in a row.
Freemantle tied the game on a tough spin move and fadeaway just outside the low post. Dante Maddox Jr. was fouled on a 3-point try, and his three free throws put Xavier ahead for good.
Maddox added a triple and another jumper soon after, accounting for his eight points on the night. He also led Xavier with eight rebounds.
Butler’s drought concluded with a 14-0 Musketeers run, and Jerome Hunter’s catch-and-shoot layup made it 41-21 with 6:25 to go in the first half. The Bulldogs got four shots to fall in the final 5:37 of the period but only pulled within 48-31 entering intermission.
Brooks and Telfort scored to bring Butler within 13 points early in the second half before Xavier restored a 20-plus-point lead. McKnight helped out with a steal and his third fastbreak bucket of the night.
Swain was also opportunistic. He intercepted a pass at Butler’s end, went one-on-one down the court, made a crossover move over his defender’s back and laid it in for a 64-46 advantage.
Brooks kept Butler within 15 points with a couple of 3-pointers, but Xavier had an answer each time and led by no fewer than 13 the rest of the night.
–Field Level Media
