Xavier defeats Oklahoma behind school-record 19 threes

The Xavier Musketeers improved to an NCAA-best 7-0 Wednesday night, picking up a 99-77 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Big East/Big 12 Battle.

Xavier were led by a school-record 19 three-pointers, as they came out firing and never cooled down, in what was a very impressive display.

The first half of the game was surprisingly back-and-forth, considering what the final score ended up being. The teams traded the lead over the first 15 minutes before Xavier went on a 12-4 run to end the half and go into the locker room up 48-39. The Musketeers hit eight threes in the first 20 minutes, but it was Zach Freemantle’s interior dominance that stood out. Freemantle hit all seven of his shots in the first half and put 16 points on the board as he continues to emerge into the Big East’s next dominant big man.

The second half was all Xavier, as the Musketeers surged to an 18 point lead within the first four minutes of the half, knocking down 11 threes in the final 20 minutes of the contest en route to the victory.

While Freemantle ended up as the leading scorer with 28 points, Nate Johnson made his impact felt, finishing with 25 points and seven threes on nine attempts. Paul Scruggs had 20 points and eight assists for the Musketeers.

Brady Manek led Oklahoma with 17 points.

Xavier returns to action Saturday when they travel to Providence to take on the Friars.