Pitino says 'selfish basketball' led to Xavier's 2nd-half struggles
Xavier was able to survive some stagnant second-half spurts in its exhibition win over Kent State.
Xavier Musketeers' head coach Richard Pitino attributed a second-half struggle during their 76-70 win over Kent State on October 23 to selfish basketball tendencies. The head coach highlighted that such exhibition games can cause undue anxiety due to social media reactions. The match showcased two contrasting halves - a strong first half where Xavier led 37-28, and a second half where Kent State took the lead twice before Xavier's comeback with a 10-4 run.
Pitino noted that the team corrected its approach and pulled away, emphasizing that this was a learning process. The Musketeers scored 22 points in the paint in the first half, and Jovan Milicevic and Ruben Dominguez contributed significantly with 3-pointers. The team's starters amassed 61 points and 29 rebounds. Point guard Tru Washington and center Mike Nwoko scored double figures, while Filip Borovicanin was close to a triple-double.
On defense, Xavier was outrebounded by Kent State 42-37 and gave up 12 second-chance opportunities. Despite these challenges, Pitino was pleased with the team's performance, calling it a "really, really good" exhibition game.
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