No. 23 Xavier overcomes slow start, beats Alabama

ORLANDO, Fla. – J.P. Macura wanted to have a big game, and it showed.

The sophomore virtually disappeared in No. 23 Xavier’s early-week win over Northern Kentucky University but returned with a vengeance in the Musketeers’ 64-45 victory over Alabama in Thursday’s AdvoCare Invitational at HP Field House.

Macura injected life into a game characterized by poor first-half shooting by both teams. He also helped facilitate a 13-0 second-half run that allowed the Musketeers to permanently pull away.

Trevon Bluiett scored five of his team-high 15 points in the spurt and Myles Davis emerged from a slump for two 3-pointers. Macura added two rebounds and an assist during the stretch and finished with a team-second 14 points plus five boards, four assists and a steal in 21 minutes.

“I just needed to provide energy for the team, whether it’s getting a tip, an extra rebound or anything like that. Diving on the floor, something like that,” Macura said. “I think it was huge to have the energy that I played with today because it sparked us on the offensive end and defensive end.”

• Box score: Xavier 64, Alabama 45

Xavier improved to 5-0 for the third straight year and thwarted Alabama’s bid to dispatch a Top 25 team on a neutral court, something the Crimson Tide (2-2) last achieved in 2009 when the AdvoCare Invitational was called the Old Spice Classic. Alabama knocked off then-No. 15 Michigan.

The Musketeers’ reward is an ESPNU-televised semifinal game against Southern California (5-0) at 2:30 p.m. Friday. The Trojans upended No. 20 Wichita State, 72-69, to advance.

Coach Chris Mack thought Xavier took a step forward against Alabama by playing consistent defense, even as its offense sputtered in the first half. XU missed its first seven field goals, including four 3-pointers, and at one point shot 18.8 percent.

Rebounding issues didn’t help. Alabama seized opportunities for second shots and led by seven points early.

“We’ve really prided ourselves all year on not giving teams second shots and making sure that on the offensive end, that we’re relentless on the offensive glass. The first four or five minutes, that wasn’t the case. The tables were turned. We gave up five offensive rebounds I think before the first TV timeout,” Mack said. “And then they got three the rest of the way. To me, we were much better on both ends on the glass, and that was a huge difference in the game.”

Xavier finished with a 47-31 rebounding advantage, including a 14-8 edge on the offensive glass. Jalen Reynolds had a team-best nine rebounds to go with his 10 points.

The Crimson Tide contended with its own problems, like offensive stagnation and trouble with Xavier’s 1-3-1 zone. Season scoring leader Retin Obasohan chipped in a season-low two points (on free throws), well below his 14 points per game average. And the team missed 23 of its 28 shots from 3-point range.

“Two-three, man-to-man, teams can have a lot in their playbook. I don’t know how much you can have against sort of a 1-3-1-type look,” Mack said. “It definitely changed the game.”

Another game-changer? Makinde London. The Xavier freshman came off the bench to score six points in a season-high 10 minutes while adding a block, steal and rebound. Against Missouri, Michigan and NKU, he played a combined 10 minutes and was scoreless.

“He came in and gave us a huge lift. Huge lift. Hit a three, he was going to the rim on both ends of the floor, rebounding, blocking shots. That’s what we need out of him, big-time energy, and especially on the defensive end because with every player on our team – any player anywhere – your nights offensively aren’t always going to come to fruition but your defensive effort has to be there,” Mack said.

Alabama coach Avery Johnson said turnovers and missed shots against a veteran program like Xavier were too much for the Tide in the second half. The Musketeers led 27-24 at the break.

“When they went into the locker room, I guess in (Xavier’s) minds they felt like they were up by 10 (and)…when we came out of the locker room it was like we were down by 20. But I think that goes to the mental stamina and confidence of an experienced team, and we’re still playing catch-up,” Johnson said.

Alabama junior Shannon Hale thought the Musketeers’ 13-0 run was the catalyst for his team's loss.

“They got a lot of shots and got going,” said Hale, who tied a team-high with 10 points. “We just broke down.”