Musketeers Beat: Xavier Bounces Back In A Breather Over Providence, Malik Messina-Moore Leads The Charge in 97-84 Win

CINCINNATI — Richard Pitino saw the kind of rebound he was looking for the most Saturday in a blowout win over Providence.

Just 72 hours after his team suffered a gut-punching 66-65 loss at Marquette, the Musketeers had four players in double figures and had command from the beginning in a 97-84 win over the Friars Saturday at Cintas. In snapping a three-game losing streak, Xavier shot a blazing 49.3 percent from the field, draining 37-of-75 shots.

Most impressive was the team’s assist-to-turnover ratio, with the Musketeers recording 23 assists on 37 baskets and committing just four turnovers in the game.

Jaylin Sellers connected for a jumper in the paint 29 seconds in for Providence’s only lead of the game, 2-0. Malik Messina-Moore hit a jumper 18 seconds later to start a 7-0 run and Xavier never trailed from there.

As a matter of fact, Messina-Moore, like he was on Wednesday night in Milwaukee with 22 points, carried the Musketeers offensively early on. He scored all six points in a 6-0 spurt that put Xavier up, 17-7. The senior from Ventura, Calif. scored 14 of his xx points in the first half.

Jovan Milicevic added 22 points while Filip Borovicanin had another strong all-around game, with 15 points, 10 rebounds and six rebounds. Tre Carroll was the fourth Musketeer in double figures with 18 points.

Xavier (10-7, 2-4) won for just the second time in six Big East games and has a chance for another home conference win Wednesday against Butler. Providence (8-8, 1-4) fell again, just three days after a heartbreaking 103-98 overtime loss at home to No. 4 Connecticut.

Providence closed to within 30-26 with 5:46 left in the first half. But the Musketeers closed the first half on a 14-9 run to take a 44-36 halftime lead.

Xavier opened the second half on a 10-3 surge to take a 54-39 lead and Xavier led by double figures the rest of the way, leading by as many as 21 twice in the final five minutes.