A-10 Semifinal Live Blog (vs. Temple)

Hello ladies and gents! We are roughly 20 minutes from tip-off in the first Atlantic 10 Conference Championship semifinal, featuring Xavier and Temple. Coming into the matchup, the Musketeers are 0-4 in A-10 Tournament play against the Owls, but there's no time like the present to snap that streak. XU looked impressive in the quarterfinal win over Saint Louis and junior Derrick Brown said this team is "on a mission." That mission continues at 6:30 p.m. against Temple. Stay tuned!

6:27 p.m. - Staring lineups...XAVIER, G - 11, B.J. Raymond; G - 25, Dante Jackson; C - 31, Jason Love; F - 5, Derrick Brown; F - 20, C.J. Anderson. TEMPLE, G - 2, Ryan Brooks; G - 22 Dionte Christmas; G - 15, Semaj Inge; C - Sergio Olmos; F - Lavoy Allen.

6:29 - The second-leading scorer in the Atlantic 10, Dionte Christmas has been held in single digits the last two games, the only time that has happened this season. The Musketeers contained him in the first matchup between these two teams, a key to tonight's game as well.

6:44 - Derrick Brown set the tone early for the Musketeers, scoring the first five points of the game, and a pair of three-pointers from B.J. Raymond and Dante Jackson have XU in front, 11-4, early in the first half. Right now, the Musketeers are having some trouble stopping penetration, but the bigs have made thing difficult for the Owls once they get in the paint.

6:52 - Six straight points and an offensive drought for XU has this game knotted up at 11, forcing head coach Sean Miller to call a timeout. After a strong start, the Muskteer offense has been slightly off in the last few minutes of action. That is going to prompt the return of Jackson to the lineup as Xavier tries to find flow on the offensive end.

6:55 - At the under 12-minute media timeout, the game is still tied at 11. B.J. Raymond just picked up second foul, presenting a two-fold issue for the Musketeers. He is the team's leading scorer, and has been assigned the task of guarding Christmas tonight. Who steps in for him and how they are able to do against the dynamic scorer will be pivotal for the remainder of the half.

7:06 - Both offenses have woken up, with XU outscoring Temple 14-9 over that four-minute stretch. Brown is the first player in double figures, netting 10 points thus far. Most importantly, he has been active on the offensive glass, grabbing two boards on that side so far.

7:15 - Already dealing with B.J. Raymond's two fouls, the Musketeers will be even further handcuffed after Jackson picked up his third infraction on a charge. Often the team's top perimeter defender, Jackson is also part of the point guard tandem with Terrell Holloway. In a press conference just a few weeks ago, Raymond said at this point in the season the freshman are sophomores, and Holloway is going to have to show that with the increased workload.

7:26 - The Musketeers didn't hit a field goal for the final six minutes of the half, but still trail by only one point, 31-30, going into halftime. Jackson and Raymond were saddled with foul trouble in the first half, playing just a combined 20 minutes. Getting them back with a fairly clean slate in the second half should help energize and clean up the XU offense. Join us back here in 15 minutes for the second half.

7:43 - Terrell Holloway is in the starting lineup for the second half with Jackson on the bench with three fouls. Holloway is no stranger to the first unit, having started 13 straight games earlier this season. He will need to quickly regain his familiarity with the starters as the Musketeers trail 33-30.

7:49 - It's pretty apparent Raymond didn't like watching from the bench in the first half. He has scored all five of the Musketeers' point in the second half, helping XU pull even with the Owls, 35-35.

7:58 - Coach Miller went with a fairly unfamiliar lineup for the Musketeers: Love, McLean, Brown, Anderson and Jackson. On defense, it was nearly impossible for the Owls to penetrate, but on offense, there wasn't quite the flow for XU. That prompted Miller to call a timeout to rotate some new players in and try to refocus his offense.

8:02 - Raymond is carrying the Musketeers in the second half, scoring 11 of his 14 points over the first 9+ minutes of the second half. Those 11 points also account for all but two of XU's points in the second half, giving the Musketeers a 43-40 lead at the 10:54 mark and under-12 media timeout.

8:10 - With the big man trio of Love, Brown and McLean on the floor, the Musketeers have been working the paint much more effectively. Getting both of the past two baskets in the paint (Love and Brown), XU also got a monster block from McLean on defense. Having those three on the floor together gives the Musketeers a unique blend of athleticsm and size most teams can not match.

8:21 - In what can already be labeled a defensive contest, the last three possessions have ended in block, culminating with McLean's athletic rejection and heads-up play to knock the ball off the Temple play he blocked as he was falling out of bounds. As one person said on press row, McLean can "jump out of the gym."

8:30 - Despite Christmas hitting two three-pointers (after starting the game 1-of-7) from long range, Xavier is within three points with just under a minute to play. It's going to come down to an XU staple if the Musketeers want to pull this out: Defense. Check www.GoXavier.com for a recap of tonight's game.