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No. 8 Xavier outlasts Butler

Dec 8, 2011 - 7:29 AM Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Tu Holloway scored 14 of his 16 points at the free throw line and added seven rebounds and six steals, as No. 8 Xavier used a big first half to down Butler, 73-61, at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Mark Lyons also scored 16 points for the Musketeers (7-0), who shook off Butler's rally in the second half after holding a 16-point lead at the break.

Roosevelt Jones paced the Bulldogs (4-5) with 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Chase Stigall added 10 points, but the two-time national runner-ups shot just 31 percent from the field to drop their second straight.

Xavier rattled off 17 straight points in a six-minute stretch early in the first half, with Lyons' layup at the midway point providing a 21-6 lead.

Dezmine Wells' three-pointer just before the break gave the Musketeers a healthy 39-23 cushion, thanks to Butler shooting just 20 percent from the field.

"Road games are always tough," said Wells. "You want to come out an knock them in the mouth first."

The Bulldogs turned things around early in the second half though, embarking on a 16-2 run to pull within four, 43-39, just 5 1/2 minutes in.

Stigall made a pair of three-pointers during the rally, but Xavier withstood the momentum shift and silenced the home crowd with a 7-0 run -- capped by Well's three-point play -- to extend its lead to 56-43 at the midway point.

Another 10-point flurry a little later all but ended Butler's comeback, with Wells' emphatic dunk yielding a 68-50 margin with 5 1/2 minutes to play.

Game Notes

Xavier leads the all-time series, 30-16...Wells donated 13 points for Xavier, which got nine points and eight rebounds from Travis Taylor...Butler plays at Ball State on Saturday before a tough stretch against Purdue, Gonzaga and Stanford.