Xavier vs. LSU Live Blog

UPDATE 10:04 - With Brown at the line, 30 seconds to play, Xu has built a 10-point lead. Tremendous second half by Xavier leads to the 12th non-conference win of the season. Tune in next time on the X-Blog!

UPDATE 10:00 - Clutch. Raymond just hit both and it's a seven-point game and the clock is working against the Tigers. And now Raymond will be going to the line again to pad the lead. The LSU fans don't seem to believe their team can pull it off as the file out of the arena like there was a bomb scare. The student section doesn't appreciate that too much, from the sound of their cheers.

UPDATE 9:57 - The free throw club is paying off, after all. Anderson just stepped to the line and calmly hit two free throws, making the Tigers pay for intentionally fouling him when they still had the one-in-one advantage. The lead is back to seven, 72-65, for the Muskies.

UPDATE 9:53 - B.J. Raymond has picked up where Brown left off. In the last two Musketeer possessions, Raymond has taken the ball agressively to the basket, drawing the foul the first time and converting a layup the second. He now has 15 points and is showing the leadership Miller has raved about throughout the season. It's a seven-point game, 70-63, with 1:38 to play, and XU will need Raymond, Anderson and Brown to continue to be the heart and soul of the team.

UPDATE 9:46 - The horn has sounded the final media timeout and the Musketeers are holding a nine-point advantage, 66-57. So far this half, XU has stiffled the Tigers' offense, giving up just 20 points in the last 16 and a half minutes. The home team has made just six of their 24 field goal attempts in the half. For the game, Xavier holds a 36-27 advantage on the glass, exploiting their advantage in the post, both in size and depth.

UPDATE 9:41 - Despite his success scoring tonight, Brown made what could prove to be his best play of the game. Driving to the lane, he spotted Holloway open on the opposite wing and elected to pass rather than force the shot. Holloway rewarded him by rattling home a three ball.

UPDATE 9:36 - Brown has scored 20 points in tonight's game, the fourth time this season he has tallied 20 or more. His career high prior to this seasn was 19, but stands at 23 after he helped the Musketeers defeat Miami-Ohio 60-53 earlier this season.

UPDATE 9:24 - Love just reached the double-digit point plateau, making it the sixth time in the last eight games he's had 10 or more points. The junior, who coach Miller calls the best defensive player on the team, has really come into his own on offense this season. And his performance tonight has helped the Musketeers to a 26-18 advantage in points in the paint.

UPDATE 9:17 - Not sure if the television broadcast has mentioned it yet, but Xavier graduate James Posey has turned out for the game tonight, brining along New Orleans Hornets teammate Chris Paul for the festivities. These two teams haven't disappointed, turning in a great game thus far.

UPDATE 9:10 - Brown has put the Musketeers on his back here in the second half, scoring the teams first few points before that lay in by Frease. A couple three pointers and a few offensive rebounds later, XU has the lead back at 46-45.

UPDATE 9:05 - When LSU knocks, Derrick Brown is answering. Marcus Thorton gave the Tigers their largest lead of the game with a three-pointer on the first posession of the second half to make it 40-36, but Brown hit a three at the other end to pull XU within one. It's the third time in the game Brown has followed a big bucket by LSU with a make of his own.

UPDATE 8:49 - After one well-played half of basketball, LSU holds a slim 37-36 lead at the break. While the Tigers' team has played good basketball over the first 20 minutes, some credit has to be given to the faithful fans in attendance, who treated every possession like the game was on the line. That type of enthusiasm allowed the team to keep its energy up, even when the Musketeers looked like they might pull away. Thirteen minutes until the second half!

UPDATE 8:43 - Already lacking size, the Tigers' Johnson just picked up his third foul after an offensive rebound by Brown. With Mitchell already on the bench with a pair, Johnson will also have to take a seat. That will bring in freshman Storm Warren for LSU. Coach Miller is countering with a freshman of his own in Frease, who has been tremendous to this point.

UPDATE 8:38 - We are seeing the Frease the Musketeers fans envisioned when they heard the first 7-footer in Xavier history was coming to campus. He has scored every time he's touched the ball in the post, using his weight advantage over Johnson to make space in the paint. Impressive performance thus far for the freshman, with eight points.

UPDATE 8:35 - The game is being called very phsyical, but Brown just took advantage of that. He drew Mitchell's second foul by standing in for a charge. Savvy move for the veteran.

UPDATE 8:31 - Kenny Frease is doing a tremendous job of using his size in the post on offense. He has scored on both his chances thus far, getting his defender up in the air before laying it calmly in. But after a Tigers' basket on the other end, it's a tie game, 26-26. A turnover by XU brought a media timeout, calming the LSU crowd...for the moment. For those of you watching at home...was the goaltending as obvious on tv as it was from my spot on press row? Ouch.

UPDATE 8:28 - After a basket by Mitchell tied the game and got the crowd in a frenzy, Brown absolutely silenced the crowd with a three from the wing. It's an interesting matchup for Brown, who is being guarded by the 6-11 Chris Johnson.

UPDATE 8:26 - The crowd here is erupting after EACH made basket by the Tigers like it was the game-winner. And after Marcus Thornton just hit a trey to pull LSU within two, 20-18, that basket forced head coach Miller to call a timeout. He used the break to bring Holloway back, so we'll get a chance to see how the freshman plays with foul trouble.

UPDATE 8:22 - Love is 2-for-2 in one-on-one battles with Mitchell, showing nice touch on a baby hook in the lane.

UPDATE 8:20 - Anderson was called for a carry, the second time a Musketeer was called for the palming violation. Looking to the bench after the call, Anderson met a calm reaction from head coach Sean Miller who knows his players will adjust.

UPDATE 8:17 - Terrell Holloway just picked up his second foul with 14:04 remaining in the first half, hitting Bo Spencer on the arm as he hit a three-pointer. Spencer not only converted the four-point play, but Holloway will have to stay on the bench with two fouls already. On the other end, with the Tigers playing zone, Jackson and Brown converted a pretty alley-oop to make it 16-10.

UPDATE 8:14 - It may not have been obvious on television, but C.J. Anderson just completed a very unorthodox self alley-oop. After tracking down a rebound, Anderson drove the lane and put up a floater. When he saw it was going wide left, he got back off the floor and put it off the glass and in before the ball even got lower than the net, putting XU in front 14-6.

UPDATE 8:12 - We have the game's first timeout, called by LSU head coach Trent Johnson after B.J. Raymond just nailed a three-pointer from the wing. XU was lucky when a loose ball bounced in their favor after Kenny Frease made a great play to get a steal, but capitalizing is what matters.

UPDATE 8:11 - After Jason Love just hit that turnaround jumper, you have to believe the Musketeers are going to try and make a concerted effort to work the post on offense. Tasmin Mitchell is a dynamic forward for the Tigers, but a bit undersized at 6-7 to be guarding Love.

UPDATE 8:08 - Over two minutes into the game, the score is tied at 2-2, as both teams have been forced to take contested shots. Including the and-one Derrick Brown just made. There are going to be very few easy buckets tonight.

UPDATE 8:04 - A sea of purple and gold has nearly filled the Maravich Center. It's hard not to get excited about tonight's game, because this atmosphere is electric. I am sure the game is going to look great on ESPN2, but on the small chance it can't quite capture the enthusiasm, trust me, it's here.

UPDATE 7:55 - Word from the Xavier ticket representative that made the trip down to Baton Rouge is that LSU is expecting its first sell out in a few years. If it isn't quite a sellout yet, it's got to be very close. Fans are filing in and the student section seems amped up in anticipation of tonight's showdown. Introductions are only a few minutes away, followed closely by the opening tip. Stay tuned!

UPDATE 7:17 - Putting Atlantic 10 action on hold for the weekend, Xavier is here in Baton Rouge for a non-conference showdown with Louisiana State (LSU) at the Maravich Center. Along with the arena's namesake (Pete Maravich), Shaquille O'Neal and Bob Pettit also have their retired numbers hanging in the rafters. So it is far to say this campus has seen its fair share of great basketball. Tonight is sure to follow that tradition, with a game that many "experts" are saying should be closely contests. Tune into ESPN2 to follow the action live, but be sure to keep refreshing the "X-Blog" for information on the game the cameras may not catch!