No. 22 Xavier hands No. 2 Connecticut its first loss and takes lead in Big East
It was fitting that two ranked teams put on a show Saturday at Cintas Center. Even more fitting that No. 25 Xavier played one of its best games of the season to hand No. 2 Connecticut its first loss this season, 83-73.
The win is eighth in a row for the Musketeers, helping them improve to 12-3 overall and took the lead in the Big East with a 4-0 record.
“When you beat them you have to really beat them. They don’t beat themselves,” Xavier head coach Sean Miller said after the game. “The fact they came in here 14-0 speaks for itself.”
The game was tied 71-71 with 4:12 left when the Musketeers closed the game on a 12-2 run over the final 3:33.
Colby Jones made an emphatic drive and finished with a reverse layup to spark the final run of the game. After starting off with four early turnovers, Jones completely turned his day around and made winning plays in crucial moments.
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There was a key sequence with two and a half minutes left in the game where Connecticut’s Andre Jackson missed a 3-pointer and Xavier’s Souley Boum came down with the rebound. Boum launched a pass the length of the floor to Zach Freemantle, who drew a questionable foul against Tristen Newton.
Freemantle went to the line and made the first free throw to give Xavier a 74-71 lead when Huskies head coach Dan Hurley was assessed a technical foul.