GAME NOTES: Right back into the national rankings at the 24th slot this week, the Xavier Musketeers try to extend their current win streak to five games as they entertain the Bonnies of St. Bonaventure in the Atlantic 10 Conference opener for both programs tonight at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati. Since losing back-to-back games to the likes of Arizona State and Tennessee, the Musketeers have produced one golden defensive effort and back-to-back triple- digit offensive onslaughts. More recently the squad was in action on Sunday versus Auburn on the road, a meeting that resulted in an easy 80-57 triumph over the Tigers. As for the Bonnies, a team that is still winless in seven true road games this season, they were in action on Saturday versus Bucknell and captured a hard-fought 65-62 win at the Reilly Center. The victory snapped a three-game slide for the team and was the first at home for the squad in nearly a month. With respect to the all-time series between these two schools on the hardwood, Xavier leads the Bonnies by a count of 19-15. The last few years have put the Musketeers in control, reeling off six consecutive wins. The most recent meeting a season ago saw the Bonnies bow to Xavier on the road, 92-66.

Trailing by eight with less than seven minutes to play versus Bucknell, the Bonnies converted just well enough at the free-throw line to grab the three- point home win. After making 8-of-10 at the stripe in the first half, the Bonnies dipped to 12-of-20 following the break. Michael Lee finished with team highs of 24 points and eight rebounds, while Zarryon Fereti contributed 21 points on 4-of-6 shooting beyond the arc, not to mention six rebounds and four assists. Of the team's 64 ppg this season, more than half (32.5 ppg) have been coming courtesy of Lee (18.2 ppg) and Fereti (14.3 ppg), leaving opponents well aware of who to guard and who not to in crunch time. Lee, a 51 percent shooter from the field, accounts for team highs with 8.1 rpg and 25 steals, while Fereti struggles along with his 37 percent from the floor, but seems to make up for it with 91.4 percent at the charity stripe over 14 games.

The Musketeers put the game with Auburn out of reach in the first half as the team's defense limited the Tigers to just 33.3 percent shooting from the field, including 4-of-14 beyond the arc, while the offense lit up the skies with an incredible 65.2 percent effort, including 10-of-16 beyond the arc. Reserve B.J. Raymond was responsible for six treys on his way to a team-high 18 points, while Drew Lavender made good on 5-of-6 out on the perimeter to come up with 15 points. Stanley Burrell chipped in 13 points, Josh Duncan had 12 and Derrick Brown chipped in with 11 points and seven boards. Showing incredible balance when it comes to scoring this year, the Musketeers have as many as six players hitting for double digits at the moment, en route to their 81 ppg. Lavender heads the list with his 12.7 ppg, shooting not only 44.1 percent from three- point range but also 39-of-42 (.929) at the charity stripe. As if all that were not enough, Lavender is also the top assist man for Xavier with 76 over 15 games. Brown (11.5 ppg) gets the job done on the glass with 6.9 boards per game, more than enough to give the squad a rebounding advantage of almost eight per game heading into tonight's action.

Two teams with entirely different talent levels, expect to see Xavier run away with this meeting in the first half, just as it did versus Auburn in the last outing.