No. 16 Xavier’s blast Seton Hall, tempers fly

Xavier’s win over Seton Hall on Friday night ended in an ugly confrontation between players from both teams. Musketeers guard Souley Boum and Seton Hall freshman Jaquan Sanders began exchanging words, leading to coaches and teammates intervening to separate the two. Seton Hall coach Shaheen Holloway was also seen waving his arms in protest after Boum attempted a 3-pointer with Xavier ahead 82-57 with just 22 seconds to play. The game ended with technical fouls given to Boum and Sanders, and Seton Hall’s KC Ndefo being ejected for leaving the bench.

Boum explained that his team would not stand for Seton Hall’s players acting tough and said, “We’re not going to let nobody punk us on or off the court.” Xavier coach Sean Miller downplayed the confrontation and said he was just happy to secure a victory. Holloway, on the other hand, apologized for the way the game ended, taking full responsibility for his team’s behavior.

Despite playing without second-leading scorer and top rebounder Zach Freemantle for the seventh straight game, Xavier managed to win with Boum scoring 23 points and Colby Jones adding 19. Seton Hall’s Dre Davis scored 13 points off the bench to lead his team, while Sanders equaled his career-high with 11. Seton Hall’s point guard Kadary Richmond was sidelined by a back injury.

After trailing 40-21 at halftime, Seton Hall managed to make it a game by starting the second half with a 12-1 run, but Xavier responded with a decisive spurt led by Boum and Jones, opening up a 53-33 lead. The Pirates were unable to recover from the deficit, ultimately losing 82-60.