‘We are very excited about the victory.’ Takeaways from No. 22 Xavier’s win over South Carolina

FORT MYERS, Fla. − Matched against South Carolina for the first time in nearly 83 years, No. 22 Xavier remained undefeated on the season with a 75-66 victory over the Gamecocks at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in the Fort Myers Tip-Off.

After a poor first half offensively, Xavier flipped the script in the second half, building a double-digit buffer and outscoring the Gamecocks in the game’s final minutes to improve to 6-0 for the second time in the Sean Miller era.

“I think this year’s team can win more in different ways than the first two years,” Miller said. “We had to go through a lot of different periods of not looking good in the game. We were able to hang in there.”

Observations from the Xavier Musketeers’ win against South Carolina

Dailyn Swain gives one of his best plays as the Gunslinger

As Xavier’s offense intensified and the clean sheet he had been getting faded away, sophomore Dailyn Swain had one of his best games on both sides of the ball.

Swain scored eight points on 3/3 shooting in the first half, and these points came at critical points. In the second half, Swain helped push the ball on the fast break with key rebounds and key steals.

Swain finished the second half with 14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals and a big block.

“This might have been the best game he (Swain) ever played for us because he set the tone at both ends of the floor,” Miller said.

Sixth-year forward Zach Freemantle was equally great. Xavier has benefited from Freemantle’s veteran presence this season, and he had some crucial shots and rebounds on Monday night.

Freemantle’s baseline slider with less than three minutes left stopped a 7-0 spurt by South Carolina that cut Xavier’s lead to 66-62. On multiple occasions, he was stranded on a low island with South Carolina’s big men and was stopped over and over again.

Freemantle led the Musketeers in points (16) and rebounds (9).

“I thought Zach Freemantle was the best player on the field,” Miller said. “He made a lot of big plays. You could feel his veteran leadership.”

Miller was looking for a better effort following Wednesday’s win over Siena, and that showed up on the rebound Monday as Xavier won the rebounding battle 41-31, giving the Gamecocks just four second-chance opportunities.

Xavier was a different team outside the locker room

Trailing at halftime (34-29) for the second time this season, Xavier made its move in the opening battle of the second half.

An offense that seemed lost in the first half connected on eight of the first 13 shots in the second half, and the Musketeers finally found rhythm from beyond the arc.

He started by pushing the ball inside against South Carolina’s frontcourt to avoid the whistle and the transition play. Xavier finished the game with 21 fast break points.

Indiana State’s Ryan Conwell made the first two 3-pointers of the second half and Furman transfer Marcus Foster went on a 7-0 run in a 50-second span to extend Xavier’s lead to 57-48 with less than eight minutes remaining.

While Conwell (13), Dayvion McKnight (11) and Jerome Hunter (10) reached double-digit points, Xavier played with a shooting percentage of 54.8% in the second half.

“We were more assertive, more confident. After the first half, we came out playing at a high level on both sides of the ball,” Miller said. “It was truly a tale of two halves.”

Xavier’s offense shut down early

Xavier was ranked in the top 35 on KenPom for offensive efficiency, but that took a detour when the South Carolina Musketeers surrounded him in Florida.

In the first half, Xavier shot just 11-of-32 (34.4%) from the field, and the Muskies’ top-10 three-point offense was just 1-of-11 from downtown through the first 20 minutes.

Xavier took a 7-0 lead less than three minutes into the contest, but South Carolina responded with a 15-0 spurt, holding the Musketeers without a point for more than six minutes.

“I thought we were lucky to be in this game in the first half. I thought in the first 20 minutes they were bigger, more physical, harder to score,” Miller said.

First half plagued with foul trouble for South Carolina’s Xavier

Miller and South Carolina coach Lamont Paris went to the bench early and often Monday night, engaging in a whistling matchup that heavily impacted both teams’ frontcourts.

South Carolina forward Nick Pringle and leading scorer Collin Murray-Boyles were tagged with three personal fouls in the first half. John Hugley committed a triple foul for the Musketeers in the first half and Freemantle sat out early with two fouls.

South Carolina came into the game with a tough free throw shot but got to the floor early and often. The Gamecocks were in the bonus with 11:34 left in the first half and were in the double bonus at 6:04.

Xavier completed his Fort Myers Notice on Wednesday

Xavier (6-0) will finish the Fort Myers Tip-Off on Wednesday in the championship game against Michigan (5-1). The Wolverines beat Virginia Tech 75-63 in their opener on Monday.

This article first appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer: Tips between Xavier and Fort Myers, South Carolina