Monday, March 9, 2015

Stainbrook leads Xavier by Creighton on the road 74-73, ends season 9-9 in conference play


                  Xavier, entering Saturday's game versus Creighton, was sitting at a modest 18-12 record, going 8-9 in the conference. They were set to be a bubble team, but they also needed help in winning this game. After missing an opportunity to knock off #6 Villanova, this match versus Creighton was a must win.
                Matt Stainbrook was the undisputed leader for Xavier. He dropped a career high 26 points, along with 9 rebounds and 3 assists. After struggling of late, Stainbrook regained confidence against Creighton. Trevon Bluiett added 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Larry Austin Jr. got a fair amount of playing time, picking up 4 points.
                Next, Xavier will take on #21 Butler at Madison Square Garden on March 12th. Butler and Xavier split the regular season games. Defeating Butler will help Xavier tremendously. In the end, Xavier needs every Big East Tournament win they can accumulate.