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CINCINNATI (AP) — Sterling Gibbs couldn't find an open shot. Miss by miss, No. 19 Seton Hall watched this one get away.
Dee Davis scored 14 points on Wednesday night, and Trevon Bluiett led a late run as Xavier pulled away to a 69-58 victory over the Pirates, who couldn't add to their run of big wins.
The Pirates (12-3, 2-1 Big East) knocked off St. John's and Villanova at home last week to gain their first ranking in three years and their highest in 14 years. They hit the road and faded.
"This league is too good, too balanced," coach Kevin Willard said. "In this league, you're just not going to win on the road very easily."
Xavier (11-4, 2-1) broke open a close game with a 20-6 run that gave the Musketeers the first double-digit lead of the game with 3 minutes to go. Bluiett had six points during the run, and Myles Davis had a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws.
It was Xavier's second big home win over a ranked team. The Musketeers beat No. 25 Georgetown 70-53 on New Year's Eve. In-between, they lost at DePaul.
"It's hard to win here at Xavier," Dee Davis said. "Playing here is going to be hard for anybody."
Angel Delgado led the Pirates with 12 points. Gibbs leads the team with 16.6 points per game, but was held to eight on 3-of-11 shooting.
"They played me a little different tonight," said Gibbs, who was 2 of 8 from beyond the arc. "They really packed in the lane. It didn't help that we didn't hit our shots."
Remy Abell, a junior transfer from Indiana, guarded Gibbs most of the way and didn't let him get open.
"They stayed with him on pick-and-rolls, which he hasn't seen yet this season," Willard said. "He's going to have to adjust to it."
Xavier led most of a game characterized by poor outside shooting.
Haralds Karlis had a pair of 3s during a 10-2 run that gave Seton Hall its only lead of the first half. Gibbs' flagrant foul on Myles Davis sparked Xavier's 13-2 run capped by Bluiett's three-point play and fast-break layup that drew a goaltending call. The Musketeers led 33-28 at halftime.
Gibbs missed all six of his shots in the half. His pull-up jumper ended his personal drought and gave Seton Hall its second lead of the game, 41-39.
There were 11 ties and eight lead changes, with neither team ahead by more than seven, before Xavier went on its pivotal run for a 65-55 lead.
Seton Hall forward Brandon Mobley fouled out with 6:01 to go. He had nine points and five rebounds.
ABELL DEFENSE
It was only the second time this season that Gibbs failed to score in double digits.
"Coming into the game, Sterling Gibbs in my opinion had played his way into being the best guard in our conference," Xavier coach Chris Mack said. "He's won big games, he's hit big shots. Remy takes personal challenges very personally."
LOW POINT
The 58 points matched Seton Hall's season low. The Pirates beat George Washington 58-54.
TIP-INS
Seton Hall: The Pirates lead the league in 3-point defense. Xavier leads the league in 3-point shooting, making 39.2 percent. The Pirates got the better of it, as Xavier missed its first seven shots from beyond the arc and finished 3 of 15.
Xavier: Dee Davis had a game-high 10 points, two assists and a steal in the first half.
UP NEXT
Seton Hall heads to Creighton for a game on Saturday. The Pirates have lost the last two in the series.
Xavier plays at Butler on Saturday. The Musketeers lead the series 33-17 and swept the Bulldogs last season, including a 64-50 win in Indianapolis.
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