Chance Westry scored 13 points to lead a balanced attack as Xavier overcame an early challenge from Eastern Michigan in a 76-53 win Friday in Cincinnati.
Filip Borovicanin tallied 10 points, while Mike Nwoko, Nikos Chitikoudis and Jovan Milicevic added nine points apiece as Xavier (2-0) rallied after trailing by seven in the first half.
Emanuel Richards produced 13 points and eight rebounds, and Jaiden Martin contributed 12 points to lead the Eagles (1-1), though standout Mohammad Habhab was limited to 11 points.
Habhab, who scored a career-high 34 points in Eastern Michigan’s season-opening victory over Coastal Carolina, was limited to 21 minutes because of early foul trouble.
Xavier limited Eastern Michigan to 27.6% shooting from the field and 6-of-23 shooting (26.1%) from beyond the arc. The Musketeers also forced 22 turnovers while committing 12 of their own. Xavier outscored Eastern Michigan 25-4 in points off turnovers.
Kilian Brockhoff opened the scoring with a 3-pointer as the Eagles rushed to a 7-0 lead. When Martin drained a corner 3 with 12:04 left in the first half, Eastern Michigan led 18-11.
But over the next 10-plus minutes, the Eagles didn’t make another field goal until Martin connected from beyond the arc with 1:18 left.
During that stretch, Eastern Michigan missed seven straight shots and committed 11 turnovers, including three shot-clock violations against Xavier’s man-to-man pressure.
The drought paved the way for a 21-2 run by the Musketeers. The burst included a 3-pointer by Rolyns Aligbe and culminated with a three-point play by Westry, which put Xavier ahead 32-20 with 1:50 left in the half.
Richards scored the first four points of the second half to pull the Eagles within 34-29. But Eastern Michigan went cold again, missing 11 straight shots from the field.
Borovicanin ignited a 10-2 Xavier run with a pair of driving layups, and Gabriel Pozzato finished it with a 3-pointer that gave the Musketeers a 44-31 lead with 14:08 remaining.
Over the final 9:07, Xavier made its last 11 shots from the field, including two apiece by Milicevic, Borovicanin and Kalek House, who finished with six points and seven assists.