Xavier: 74

Le Moyne: 69

Xavier survives, but the inconsistency from minute to minute on the court is baffling at times. The first half shooting completely disappeared in the 2H and Xavier’s offense suffered because of it .

Xavier moves to 2-0 and Le Moyne is now 1-1. 

Cintas Center, Cincinnati, OH | Attendance: 9480

Date: 11/6/25

Postgame:

Highlights: https://youtu.be/bIKzpRX3slc

Coach Pitino’s Presser: https://youtu.be/KaSpcV2zj7A

Roddie and Filip Presser: https://youtu.be/XtREOR5TF4w

Photo Credit: Xavier Athletics - Goxavier.com

Xavier found itself in another absolute dogfight with an inferior opponent on Thursday night. Le Moyne, now up to 315th in KenPom after a significant postgame jump, is only in its second year at the Division I level and competes in the NEC which is known as the weakest conference in college basketball. The Dolphins have climbed to second in the league’s KenPom standings, trailing only Long Island.

Much like the season opener against Marist, this one followed a familiar pattern: every time Xavier looked ready to pull away, a careless turnover or defensive lapse allowed Le Moyne right back into it. The Musketeers struggled mightily inside, being outscored 34–22 in the paint, and failed to impose their size and athleticism for most of the night.

What ultimately saved Xavier was a scorching first-half shooting performance — the Musketeers went 11-of-17 from three-point range, giving them just enough cushion to hang on late. Encouragingly, Roddie Anderson, Malik Messina-Moore, Isaiah Walker and Filip Borovicanin both turned in strong performances, offering a glimpse of the offensive potential this roster has when it’s clicking.

If Xavier can ever put it all together at once, this group has legitimate pieces to compete at the middle of the Big East, but the consistency must get better. 

Top Performers

Xavier was led by Malik Messina-Moore with 17 points, 5 assists,  and a steal. He did most of his damage from deep with a 4-8 performance from beyond the arc. 

Roddie Anderson would likely be my player of the game if I were to pick one. He was moved to the bench in favor of All Wright to start the game off, however, he responded in a great way, putting up 15/3/2 and 2 steals. He struggled from the floor, going 5-12 and 1-4 from 3, but he was able to get to the FT line 5 times and make 4 of them. He also played relentless full court defense all night making the Dolphins struggle to get the ball across the line consistently. 

Tre Carroll had 11/5/4 and a block tonight, however, he played just 24:50. His intensity and playmaking really help the Musketeers on offense, but he is proving to be a bit of a defensive liability, which has led to an increased opportunity for Isaiah Walker. 

Walker took full advantage of his opportunities tonight, finishing with 6 points and an assist, however, he played excellent defense on some of the better athletes on the Dolphin squad. All 6 of his points came from the 3pt. line in the 1H. 

Filip Borovicianin was also benched tonight to start the game, and he also responded very well. He had 6 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. He did turn the ball over 3 times, however, he looked much more within the offense tonight compared to Monday’s game, and did a bit of everything. His defensive effort was improved and he didn’t stand out too frequently in a negative light on that side of the ball. 

All Wright jumped into a starting role tonight, and played 22 minutes in total. His defense is better than I expected it to be, but still a work in progress. He finished with 6/1/1 and a turnover. Him being on the court really opens up the floor and helped Malik Messina-Moore get open in the 1H. 

The Bigs: Anthony Robinson, Jovan Milicevic, and Pape N’Diaye played a combined 56 minutes tonight. They combined for 13 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals, and 5 turnovers. I cannot stress how important it is that one of these three find some consistency as Xavier heads into more competitive games in the coming weeks. Robinson and Milicevic are clearly the better two, but Pape also has potential. Robinson’s athleticism and strength seem to be hiding so far this year, I would like to see the offense get him the ball a bit more. 

Le Moyne: 

Trent Mosquera led all scorers with 20/6/4. He also had 2 steals.. His 6-11 night from deep was a key reason for how the Dolphins stayed in this game. 

Deng Garang gave Xavier all kinds go trouble tonight, finishing with 15//2/1, but his athleticism really opened up the ball on offense. 

Jakai Sanders and Ametri Moss were both in double figures with 13 and 10, respectively. 

Shilo Jackson did everything for this team, finishing with 7/6/6, 2 steals and 3 blocked shots. He did, however, turn the ball over 5 times. 

The Tale of The Tape: 

Xavier finished 25-59 (42%) from the field, 13-25 (52%) from 3, and 11-16 (68%) from the FT stripe

Le Moyne finished 27-51 (52.9%) from the field, 8-21 (38%) from 3, and 7-12 (58.3%) from the FT Stripe. 

Interestingly, both teams fouled 17 times for the game. 

Xavier was able to limit their turnovers to 11, while Le Moyne had 18. Xavier was able to turn that into a 20-10 advantage in points off turnovers. 

Showing a bit of a trend, Xavier was out rebounded again tonight, 33-31. 

Xavier was, however, able to win the second chance point battle 6-0. 

Both teams has 12 fast break points 

Xavier’s bench outscored the Dolphin bench 30-15. 

Fan Takeaways

Once again, Xavier fans need to find some patience — because this season is going to be a grind. Richard Pitino is not the villain here; he inherited a brutal situation, and that was before two key injuries made things even tougher for the Musketeers.

Right now, this team simply isn’t ready to compete at a Big East level. The most pressing concern is the frontcourt, where energy and effort seemed lacking against Le Moyne. The number of loose balls and rebounds that slipped through the bigs’ hands was alarming. Xavier needs more consistent rebounding and a stronger post presence — whether that comes from Pape or Robinson, someone has to step up.

The starting lineup still feels unsettled, and Pitino is clearly experimenting to find the right combination. Another shuffle on Monday wouldn’t be surprising. Based on what we’ve seen so far, a lineup of Anderson, Wright, Messina-Moore, Carroll, and Robinson might offer the best offensive power with decent spacing, but definite questions defensively.

This is a young, developing roster, and the growing pains are evident. Patience will be essential as this group figures out its identity and consistency.

What’s Next

Xavier is off until Monday, when they’ll host Santa Clara in what should be an intriguing early-season matchup.

Le Moyne will be back in action Sunday at Bowling Green.

Despite the 2–0 record, Xavier has dropped more than 25 spots in both major analytical models (KenPom and Bart Torvik) through the season’s first two games — a sign that the performance level isn’t matching the win column just yet. Normally, a 2–0 start moves you upward, not down.