HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. (AP) — Eric Gordon’s soaring act never got off the ground, and Indiana stayed down with him.
C.J. Anderson and B.J. Raymond scored 19 points apiece, and Xavier handed the eighth-ranked Hoosiers their first loss, beating them 80-65 in the final of the Chicago Invitational Challenge on Saturday night.
Gordon had a rough night, and the Hoosiers could not get going without him.
Indiana’s super freshman scored 20 points, just his second game with fewer than 30, while hitting 4 of 12 shots. D.J. White did his best to pick up the slack with 16 points and 10 rebounds, but he had little help.
Xavier (4-1) outscored Indiana (4-1) 13-3 over the final 3:54 of the first half to turn a one-point advantage into a 40-29 lead, and the Musketeers maintained control the rest of the way. Anderson shot 7-of-14, while Raymond hit 7 of 12. And both did a good job on the boards, with Raymond grabbing 10 rebounds and Anderson eight.
Drew Lavender added 13 points and six assists in his first game against his former coach, Kelvin Sampson. They spent two years together at Oklahoma, and Lavender helped the Sooners go 25-8 and reach the second round of the 2005 NCAA tournament before transferring.
Xavier is no stranger to big victories, with at least 20 wins in 20 of the past 25 seasons. The Musketeers went 25-9 and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament last year, and expectations are high again.
Now, they’re meeting them.
They rebounded from a two-point loss at Miami of Ohio on Nov. 13 by beating Coppin State by 49 on Tuesday and Kent State 78-65 on Friday. Those were mere warmups for the Hoosiers, who had won their first four for the first time since the 2002-03 team went 8-0.
Xavier’s Derrick Brown sent a message three minutes into the game with a one-handed jam over Jamarcus Ellis, ripping the net and getting fouled in the process. And the Musketeers ended the half with a flourish.
They were leading 27-26 when they scored eight straight. Indiana’s Armon Bassett hit a 3-pointer with 58 seconds remaining, but Xavier’s Stanley Burrell then rattled in one from the wing, the ball hitting the rim before falling through the net. The Musketeers ended the half with another wild shot.
This one came after White got called for a charge on the right block with two seconds left.
Raymond caught a long inbounds pass, turned and buried a 15-footer, giving his team an 11-point lead.
It was a rough half for Indiana, which hit just 12 of 32 shots and was 1-of-9 on 3-pointers.
Gordon was 1-of-6 with four points and spent the final 7:09 on the sideline after picking up his third foul.
xxx
Xavier easily out scores Indiana
<b>Xavier 80, Indiana 65</b>
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