No. 23 Xavier Beats Oakland 93-68

Wed Nov 28, 2007 7:00 PM EST

sports, college-basketball, top-25, oakland, xavier, stanley-burrell

CINCINNATI — Stanley Burrell scored 15 points in a tone-setting first half, and No. 23 Xavier used one crushing run after another to beat Oakland 93-68 on Wednesday night for its fourth straight win.

Playing as a ranked team for the first time in 11 months, Xavier (5-1) showed its stuff during a 51-point first half fueled by a man-to-man defense that has dramatically improved in the last two weeks.

The Musketeers pulled into the Top 25 after using a 23-point run to crush Coppin State, then pulling off double-digit victories over Kent State and then-No. 8 Indiana over the weekend in the Chicago Invitational Challenge.

Once the Musketeers got rolling, Oakland (2-4) couldn't slow them down. Xavier went on 16-2 and 21-2 runs in the first half, when it led by as many as 26 points.

The Grizzlies have dropped consecutive games against nationally ranked teams. They lost 75-71 to No. 10 Michigan State on Saturday, but couldn't stay close to Xavier after the opening minutes.

Burrell's defense was a key to Xavier's 80-65 victory over Indiana, limiting freshman guard Eric Gordon to 4-of-12 shooting. This time, he made the pivotal shots in the first half and finished with 17 points. Josh Duncan led five Xavier players in double figures with 18 points and eight rebounds.

Johnathon Jones scored 17 points to lead Oakland, which blocked nine shots.

The Grizzlies are known for their shot-blocking prowess, having already swatted way a school-record 14 in one game this season. They blocked two in the opening minutes, helping them pull ahead 4-0.

That was the end of their feel-good moments.

Burrell scored six points in a 16-2 run that put Xavier in control. Oakland went 1-for-3 with three turnovers during the spurt. Burrell had a 3-pointer and a three-point play during the 21-2 run that helped Xavier pull ahead 51-33 at halftime.

Point guard Drew Lavender led a 12-point run that opened the second half, hitting a floating jumper and two free throws. B.J. Raymond's 3-pointer completed the run and gave Xavier its biggest lead to that point, 63-33.