The primary two video games have not been straightforward for Richard Pitino at Xavier, however he is rapidly studying quite a bit about his staff.
That staff will get a barely larger take a look at when the Musketeers host Santa Clara Monday evening in Cincinnati.
Malik Messina-Moore led a balanced scoring assault with 17 factors as sharp-shooting Xavier (2-0) fended off an upset bid from visiting Le Moyne, 74-69, Thursday.
Santa Clara (2-0) beat McNeese State on Friday for its second straight residence win to start the season.
Roddie Anderson III scored 15, and Filip Borovicanin hauled in 12 rebounds for Xavier. Each gamers began within the season-opening win towards Marist, however Pitino did not just like the power to begin that sport, so he had each come off the bench towards Le Moyne.
It was the second win for Jovan Milicevic and Borovicanin at their new faculty after each adopted Pitino to Xavier from New Mexico this offseason.
“It is the second sport they’ve all received collectively collectively as a staff,” Pitino mentioned. “Jovan and Filip received 27 video games or no matter final 12 months. However that is such a piece in progress. Each sport, even the exhibition video games, have been shut.”
The Santa Clara staff Xavier faces Monday evening encompasses a former NBA G League participant who has been declared eligible for faculty play.
Thierry Darlan, who’s from the Central African Republic, spent the previous two seasons within the NBA G League, taking part in for the G League Ignite, Delaware Blue Coats and Rip Metropolis Remix. Darlan is the primary individual to play faculty basketball after a stint within the G League.
In his first sport, an 83-53 win over Cal Poly Humboldt, Darlan grabbed 13 rebounds to go together with his 13 factors. He was held to 4 factors and three rebounds in 17 minutes in Santa Clara’s second sport.
Sash Gavalyugov had 19 factors within the win over McNeese State whereas Allen Graves had 13 rebounds, together with seven on the offensive finish.
“Allen is an excellent younger participant,” Santa Clara coach Herb Sendek mentioned. “By faculty basketball requirements, we’re taking part in plenty of younger guys, plenty of first-year guys, and so it is thrilling to observe them have this chance and it will be plenty of enjoyable to observe them develop and develop via the course of the 12 months.”
–Subject Degree Media