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Xavier edges No. 19 Memphis

Feb 27, 2013 - 4:19 AM Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - Travis Taylor tallied a game-high 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds on Tuesday to help Xavier end No. 19 Memphis' 18-game winning streak with a 64-62 triumph at the Cintas Center.

Isaiah Philmore followed with 15 points and Semaj Christon chipped in 13 points for the Musketeers (16-11, 8-5 A-10), who have won two of their last three games.

Geron Johnson led Memphis (24-4, 13-0 C-USA) with 14 points and seven boards, while Joe Jackson added 11 points for the Tigers, who hadn't lost since an 87-78 setback against then-No. 6 Louisville on Dec. 15.

"We had no intensity," Johnson admitted. "We came in here thinking they'll roll over and we'll get our 19th straight win. It's not like that."

Taylor poured in 11 of Xavier's first 14 points to help the Musketeers jump out to a 14-8 cushion just over six minutes in and the home team led throughout the frame before carrying a 31-20 advantage into break.

The Musketeers' lead was 10, 41-31, over nine minutes into the second before the Tigers caught fire from long range to take their first lead of the contest.

Johnson knocked down a trio of 3-pointers in a 21-8 Memphis run that Tarik Black capped with a dunk to make it 52-49 in favor of the visitors.

After an exchange of buckets, Brad Redford buried a deep triple from the right wing to give Xavier a 58-57 lead and put the Musketeers in front for good.

Christon and Taylor each split a pair of free throws around two misses from the charity stripe from D.J. Stephens before Jackson sank two from the line to bring Memphis within 60-59 with 1:01 remaining.

After Redford airballed a tough jumper at the other end, Chris Crawford got a great look at a corner trey, but his shot was off the mark and Taylor corralled the rebound.

Taylor then hit the first free throw before missing the second, but the Tigers had the defensive rebound go out of bounds off them to give possession back to the Musketeers with 17.3 ticks on the clock.

Redford then sank two free throws to make it a four-point game with 14.4 seconds left, but Jackson was able to finish a layup with 2.1 ticks left to bring Memphis within 63-61.

Christon then missed 1-of-2 at the other end to leave the door open, but Stephens, who was fouled after receiving a deep in bounds pass, missed the rim on his second attempt from the line, preventing the Tigers from trying a game-tying tip-in.

"It was important for us to just kind of stay with it and come out with the win," Redford said of his team holding on down the stretch. "We made enough winning plays and we're very happy."

Game Notes

Memphis wrapped up at least a share of the league title Saturday with an 89-73 victory over Southern Mississippi ... Redford finished with 10 points for the Tigers ... Crawford added 10 points for Xavier.