Dante Maddox Jr. (26 points), Xavier power past Providence

Fifth-year guard Dante Maddox Jr. tied a career-high with 26 points off the bench to lead visiting Xavier to a 91-82 win over Providence on Wednesday night.

Maddox was 7-of-11 from the field and also tied his career-high with six made 3-pointers, while Zach Freemantle added 23 points and nine rebounds for the Musketeers (15-10, 7-7 Big East).

Ryan Conwell (17 points) and Dailyn Swain (13 points) each added four assists and were 7-of-8 shooting free throws, helping Xavier's 26-of-29 effort to outscore the hosts by 24 at the foul line.

Justyn Fernandez and Bensley Joseph each had 15 points to lead Providence (11-14, 5-9), which played without guard Corey Floyd Jr. (concussion protocol) and had coach Kim English ejected after receiving his second technical foul with 18:38 left.

Freshman Ryan Mela posted his second double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Jayden Pierre also scored 13 for the Friars.

The Musketeers erased an early 11-point deficit and led 45-30 at halftime thanks to a 22-0 run that spanned just under five minutes. Providence shot 8-of-9 from the floor, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range, during that span to turn a seven-point deficit into a 38-23 lead.

Xavier led by as many as 26, but Providence -- which shot 53.7 percent from the field but just 2-of-10 from the foul line -- cut within nine in the final minutes.

Maddox hit three of four straight Xavier treys to begin the go-ahead surge in the first half. His straight-on 3-pointer gave the Musketeers a 25-23 lead with 10:09 to go before halftime. A Conwell three-point play finished the stretch with 6:47 left.

Providence then moved within 38-30 after a 7-0 run but did not score after the 4:55 mark. Freemantle's buzzer-beating turnaround shot finalized a 7-0 Xavier run going into the break.

A Freemantle 3-point play and two Maddox threes made it 65-39 with 14:53 left in the game before the Friars soon rallied.

A Mela layup off his own miss capped a 13-1 Providence run, cutting the score to 73-63 with 7:38 left. Three Conwell free throws stopped the momentum, and the Musketeers led by at least nine the rest of the way.

The hosts started 6-of-7 and led 16-5 just 3:49 in. The opening segment saw Fernandez hit three 3-pointers and finish a three-point play inside. Providence got a Mela layup to move its lead to 23-16 before the game changed.

--Field Level Media