(Sports Network) - Brad Redford led six double-digit scorers with 15 points, as the 14th-ranked Xavier Musketeers demolished the Fordham Rams, 88-53, at the Cintas Center.

B.J. Raymond added 14 points for the Musketeers (21-4, 9-2 A-10), who bounced back from back-to-back losses in conference play. Dante Jackson ended with 13 points, five rebounds and four assists. Derrick Brown finished with 12 points and five helpers. Jason Love contributed 11 points and seven rebounds, while Jamel McLean had 10 points.

Xavier killed the Rams with their perimeter shooting game. The Musketeers went 14-of-27 from three-point range in the tilt. Redford hit 5-of-9 three- pointers, while Raymond went 4-of-7 from beyond the arc.

"I ran out hard in transition and guys gave me some screens. They (Fordham) gave me a little bit of space and I just knocked down some threes," said Redford.

Fordham (3-19, 1-9) was paced by Mike Moore, who poured in a game-high 24 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Jio Fontan had 12 points, while Herb Tanner finished with 10 points for the Rams, who have dropped four consecutive games.

The Musketeers dominated the second half to put away the Rams. Ahead 46-31 early in the frame, Xavier used a 15-2 run to extend their commanding lead to 61-33. Redford drilled a three-pointer with 15 1/2 minutes remaining to culminate the spurt.

Fordham never got closer than 25 points the remainder of the way. Xavier outscored the Rams 46-24 in the second half.

"I thought our crowd was outstanding. Our students were great," said Xavier head coach Sean Miller. "We have an opportunity to go three straight years without losing an A-10 home game."

The first half started out as a back-and-forth battle. But Xavier gained the momentum and started to take control halfway through the frame. Ahead 21-20, the Musketeers went on a 10-2 spurt to open up a nine-point cushion. A Raymond three-pointer with about 4 1/2 minutes until the half capped the run.

Xavier outscored Fordham 6-1 in the final two minutes of the first stanza to take a 42-29 advantage into the locker room.

Game Notes

Xavier shot 53.4 percent from the field, compared to just 32.8 percent for Fordham...The Musketeers crushed the Rams, 86-60, during their previous meeting on January 11th...Xavier owns a commanding 18-3 advantage in the all- time series.



Copyright 2009 The Sports Network
All rights reserved

 Email To Friend