Colby Jones forced Kadary Richmond into a traveling violation with five seconds left in regulation as Xavier held on for a 73-30 win over Seton Hall on Tuesday in Cincinnati.
Richmond, who led Seton Hall (7-6, 0-2 Big East) with 17 points, had a chance to win the game with a drive to the basket while the Musketeers led 71-70. However, he lost control as Jones guarded him tightly.
Xavier’s Adam Kunkel hit a pair of free throws with 3.7 seconds remaining and Seton Hall’s Jamir Harris missed a potential game-tying baseline 3-pointer as time expired to give the Musketeers (10-3, 2-0) their sixth straight win.
It also snapped Seton Hall’s four-game winning streak at Xavier. The Musketeers hadn’t beaten the Pirates in Cincinnati since Feb. 14, 2018.
Zach Freemantle led Xavier with a game-high 23 points and nine rebounds, while Jones had 16 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots.
The Musketeers entered the game as one of the top five teams in 3-point shooting percentage in the nation. However, they made just three of their first 14 shots from beyond the arc, allowing Seton Hall to stay close.
Xavier opened up eight-point leads twice in the first half, 21-13 and 27-19, thanks to 14 points from Freemantle. Souley Boum and Jones added eight points apiece as Xavier went into halftime with a 37-34 lead.
With Richmond slow to start the game, Tyrese Samuel made six of his seven shots from the field and led the Pirates with 12 first-half points.
The Pirates appeared to have momentum on their side when Al-Amir Dawes connected on a 3-pointer with 13:31 remaining to give Seton Hall a 50-49 lead. However, Jerome Hunter’s layup 20 seconds later gave Xavier the lead back.
That layup started a 10-2 Xavier run, capped by two offensive rebounds from Hunter and a right-handed half-hook shot from the baseline by Freemantle that brought the sellout crowd to its feet.
Seton Hall scored the next seven points to tie the game.
Kunkel’s 3-pointer with 4:43 remaining gave Xavier a 64-61 lead. Freemantle’s trey a minute later put the Musketeers ahead 68-61.
The Pirates again responded, outscoring Xavier 8-2 to close within 71-70 when Richmond made one of two free throws with 44.8 seconds. A missed jumper by Boum gave Seton Hall one last chance before Richmond’s key giveaway.
–Field Level Media
