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Raymond, Xavier start strong in rout of Belmont

Dec 2, 2007 - 3:48 AM CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- Xavier just about guaranteed that it would stick around the national rankings for a while longer.

B.J. Raymond scored 12 of his 15 points in the first half as No. 25 Xavier cruised to a 90-49 victory over Belmont on Saturday.

Stanley Burrell added 18 points, including 13 in the second half, as the Musketeers (6-1) captured their fifth consecutive win.

With a winning streak that included a victory over then-No. 8 Indiana in the final of the Chicago Invitational Challenge, Xavier ensured that it would probably remain in the USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll for consecutive weeks for the first time since 2003.

The Musketeers put the game out of reach early, scoring the first six points and pulling ahead, 18-9, on a 3-pointer by Raymond with 11:16 remaining.

Raymond added consecutive baskets from the arc seven minutes later, building the cushion to 31-20.

Those long-range shots by the junior swingman started a 16-5 burst that took Xavier into the half, giving it a commanding 41-25 advantage.

The Musketeers, who were nationally ranked last December 4 before losing two of their next three games, put together a 20-8 burst after the break, going ahead, 70-40, on a layup by Adrion Graves with 8:01 left.

C.J. Anderson had 14 points off the bench and Josh Duncan added nine and 10 rebounds for Xavier, which shot 52.5 percent (32-of-61), including 10-of-19 on 3-pointers.

Due to the play of Raymond and Duncan, the Musketeers dominated play inside, finishing with a 42-16 advantage in points and 51-33 on the boards.

Xavier has outrebounded its foes by an average of 18.7 points in three home games this season.

Xavier has won its last 12 games at the Cintas Center, improving to 94-15 since the facility opened in 2000-01.

Shane Dansby scored 10 points for Belmont (5-3), which dropped its fourth straight game against a ranked foe dating back to the 2003-04 season.

Alex Renfroe and Henry Harris had eight points apiece for the Bruins, who shot 26.6 percent (17-of-64) in losing for the third time in their last five road games.