Xavier Musketeers basketball opens up in CareSource Charity Classic with win over Dayton

It won’t count for anything when it comes to Xavier’s record, but the Musketeers’ 98-74 win over Dayton Sunday in the CareSource Charity Classic might serve as the perfect confidence builder.

Last year, Xavier went just 3-9 on the road. In front of a sellout crowd Sunday, Xavier showcased the toughness of this year’s squad in a game that felt like a marquee non-conference matchup against former Atlantic-10 rivals.

Here are five observations from Xavier’s preseason victory over the Flyers.

Xavier’s Zach Freemantle (32) dunks during the first half of a charity exhibition game against the Dayton Flyers at UD Arena on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024.

Zach Freemantle, Marcus Foster lead dominant Xavier offense against Dayton

Playing in his first game in 631 days, Xavier forward Zach Freemantle anchored a Xavier offense that shook off early turnovers to turn in a dominant day of work.

Xavier led 46-28 at halftime behind Freemantle, who buried a pair of 3-pointers and tied a team-high with 15 points. He was far from the only one to shine as Xavier relentlessly kept the pedal down on the offensive end.

Seven other Musketeers joined Freemantle in double figures: Marcus Foster (15), Dante Maddox Jr. (12), Trey Green (12), Dayvion McKnight (11), Ryan Conwell (11), Jerome Hunter (10) and Dailyn Swain (10).

“We know the strength is in our depth,” Foster said. “We probably have 10 guys who could possibly start and 10 guys that can score in double figures on any night. That’s the power of it. That’s why I was able to get good, clean looks and drives because each player had gravity.”

Xavier shot 59.3% from the field and knocked down 12-of-26 from downtown and turned a dozen offensive rebounds into 15 second-chance points. For what it’s worth, Dayton has not allowed 90-plus points at home since Dec. 2018.

Xavier will play in plenty of tough arenas this season

Under head coach Anthony Grant for the last seven seasons, Dayton is 92-17 at home. Sunday’s charity game was played like a regular season affair and…

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Author : The Enquirer

Publish date : 2024-10-20 23:23:00

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