Xavier overcame a cold shooting start and blowing a 20-point second-half lead to hold on for a 66-62 win over Marist on Monday in Cincinnati in the season opener for both teams.
Malik Messina-Moore paced the new-look Musketeers with 16 points and started a pair of runs that wiped out an early seven-point deficit. His jumper with 3:45 left in the first half gave Xavier the lead for good and began a 14-0 spurt that seemingly gave the home team control of the game.
All Wright and Jovan Milicevic each added 14 off the Xavier bench to make new head coach Richard Pitino a winner in his debut at the Big East school.
Rhyjon Blackwell scored 18 of his game-high 24 points in the second half to lead Marist, which rallied to take the lead late.
Jordan Gabriel hit a pair of free throws with 3:22 remaining to cap a 13-0 run and give Marist its first lead, 60-59, since early in the first half. However, Milicevic drained a straightaway three to put Xavier back on top 62-60 with 1:46 left. The Red Foxes did not hit another basket from the floor.
Xavier, with only one returning player from last year’s NCAA Tournament team, captured its 26th straight season opener at Cintas Center and its 36th straight overall.
Elijah Lewis added 15 points and seven rebounds for Marist. It was the first time the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference school was facing a Big East program since Nov. 16, 2013, when they were defeated on the road at Providence.
Marist took advantage of cold shooting from Xavier to build a 15-9 lead 11 minutes into the game. The Musketeers missed 10 of their first 12 shots and 16 of 19 from the floor to open the game. The Red Foxes missed 13 of their final 16 attempts from the floor before halftime, and they trailed 29-19 at the break.
Xavier scored the first eight points of the second half to build their lead to 37-19, and the Musketeers were ahead 40-20 when Milicevic drained a 3-pointer with 16:38 to go.
