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| Jarvis Thibodeaux 6'-8" 200 lbs,, Junior Houston, Texas St. Pius X (Presbyterian) |
The Gold Rush (8-2), ranked 13th in NAIA Division I, had lost six straight to the Wildcats at Alumni Gymnasium since a 96-68 victory on Dec. 11, 2003.
Guard Troy Salvant, a 26-year-old freshman who spent seven years in the Army before enrolling at Xavier, scored all of his career-high 20 points in nine first-half minutes. Gary Smith and Morris Wright scored 12 points apiece, and Jacques Johnson and Wesley Pluviose-Philip scored 11 apiece. Smith and Pluviose-Philip reached season highs.
Xavier shot a season-high 59.6 percent from the floor and made 11-of-16 3-pointers for its most accurate long-range performance in nearly three years.
"We played well and hit shots," XU coach Dannton Jackson said. "This was close to being one of our best games."
Xavier took the lead for good in the second minute and led 47-24 at halftime after shooting 62.1 percent from the floor. Salvant was 7-of-7 from the floor, 4-of-4 from 3-point range and 2-of-2 from the line in the first half.
"Troy hit an early first shot and was feeling it," Jackson said, "so we kept him in there."
Xavier made 11 treys for the first time since its Convocation Center debut against Morehouse on Nov. 3, 2012. Wright made three, and Smith and Johnson made two apiece.
Xavier led by 30 or more for the final 5:27. The Gold Rush posted the third-largest winning margin in the 59-game series and the biggest since a 41-point victory in the 1972-73 season.
Wiley (2-4) shot 31.4 percent from the floor, the lowest this season by an XU opponent.
The Gold Rush outrebounded the Wildcats 36-31. Wright and Pluviose-Philip grabbed a seaosn-high six apiece.
"Jacques Johnson hit some big shots in the second half," Jackson said. "Mo Wright was steady. Another guy who played steady was Josh Freeman in relief of Mo. Josh didn't fill up the stat sheet, but he did the small things well, got us into the offense and defended at a high level."
Xavier produced its biggest winning margin on an opponent's floor since a 110-61 decision against Faith Baptist on Dec. 8, 1994.
Xavier, 6-0 this season against NAIA opponents, will play NAIA No. 9 William Carey at 7 p.m. Monday at the Convocation Center.
Box score
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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