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Raymond powers Xavier over Fordham

Jan 12, 2008 - 8:49 PM CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- B.J. Raymond continued his hot shooting for Xavier.Raymond scored 20 points off the bench on 7-of-9 shooting as No.25 Xavier shook off a slow start to rout Fordham, 68-50, in anAtlantic 10 Conference contest on Saturday.For most of the first half, the Rams were able to control thetempo and slowed down a Musketeers team that had averaged 93points in their previous four games.Bryant Dunston's dunk gave Fordham a 15-13 lead with 11:08remaining, but the Rams went scoreless for nearly five minutesand Xavier (14-3, 2-0 A-10) took control with a 12-0 spurt.Raymond provided a spark for Xavier in the first half, hittingall four of his 3-point attempts for 12 points. Hisback-to-back 3-pointers gave the Musketeers a 21-15 lead.The junior swingman finished 5-of-6 from the arc and has made20-of-29 3-pointers in his last four contests.After settling for a 32-26 halftime lead, Xavier pulled away inthe second half for its fifth straight victory. The Musketeersrecorded their 100th win at the Cintas Center.Fordham (6-8, 0-2) suffered its third straight loss, continuinga disappointing start to the season. The Rams were pickedfourth in the A-10 preseason poll but continue to be plagued bya sputtering offense.Fordham endured another scoring drought of three minutes tostart the second half, and Jason Love's free throw gave Xavier a40-26 lead with 17:41 remaining.Dunston recorded his fourth straight double-double for the Ramswith 19 points and 11 rebounds.Both teams struggled from the field, shooting under 43 percent,but Xavier wore down Fordham with its superior depth. Itoutscored Fordham, 30-2, off the bench, including 22-0 in theopening half.The Musketeers were 9-of-21 from 3-point range, while the Ramsconverted just 5-of-22 3-point attempts.Fordham has dropped 15 of its last 16 games against Xavier,which opened a 56-38 lead on Raymond's layup with 5:40remaining.Derrick Brown, Drew Lavender and Josh Duncan all contributed 10points for the Musketeers. Lavender was 4-for-4 from the stripe,extending his streak of consecutive free throws made to 23.