Sat Jan 12 17:53:13 2008

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Raymond leads Xavier in rout of Fordham

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Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - B.J. Raymond scored 20 points to lead 24th-ranked Xavier to a 68-50 win over Fordham at the Cintas Center.

Raymond came off the bench to hit 7-of-9 shots, including 5-of-6 from three- point range, for the Musketeers (14-3, 2-0 A-10), who have won six straight. Josh Duncan, Derrick Brown and Drew Lavender each had 10 points for Xavier, which has won five in a row at home to improve its record as the host to 10-1 this season.

Bryant Dunston scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Rams (6-8, 0-2), who have dropped three straight and four of five. Marcus Stout added 16 points for Fordham, which has lost four in a row and 15 of the last 16 meetings against the Musketeers.

Trailing 15-13 a little less than midway through the first half, the Musketeers started to gain some control with a 12-0 run. Raymond hit a pair of threes during the surge, which Lavender capped with a trey at the 4:20 mark for a 25-15 cushion.

Fordham went into the break down six points, 32-26, thanks to a Stout three- pointer late in the half, but Xavier opened the second with eight straight points to forge ahead by 14 points. Jason Love hit 1-of-2 free throws with 2:19 elapsed in the frame to end the run for a 40-26 lead.

Stout finally got the Rams on the board 3:20 into the second half with a layup, but Raymond converted a three-point play 36 seconds later to make it a 15-point affair. Raymond then drained a three with 13:06 left to make it an 18-point game, 48-30.

A pair of free throws by Lavender with 8:09 left gave Xavier its largest lead of 19 points, 54-35, and the Musketeers cruised from there.

Game Notes

C.J. Anderson had eight points and nine boards for Xavier...Fordham fell to 2-5 as the visitor. The Rams wrapped up a three-game road trip winless...Fordham opens a brief two-game homestand on Wednesday against George Washington...Xavier travels to face Temple on Wednesday.