'We broke through.' What we learned as Xavier Musketeers beat Providence in Big East play

PROVIDENCE, RI − With its back against the wall after a 1-3 start to Big East play, Xavier men's basketball delivered its best all-around performance of the season when it needed it most.

Xavier shook off an early 11-point deficit Saturday afternoon, rebounded the ball with intensity and shot effectively against one of the nation's top defenses to capture its first road conference victory of the season in an 85-65 win over Providence at Amica Mutual Pavilion.

"We leave here feeling good," Xavier head coach Sean Miller said. "We've knocked at the door several times throughout the year, and I felt like today we broke through in a number of different ways."

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Here's what we learned in Rhode Island on Saturday.

5 observations from Xavier Musketeers Big East victory over Providence Friars

Xavier breaks it open in the second half

The opening four-minute segment of the second half has been a weakness for Xavier this season. In Wednesday's loss to UConn, Xavier had a 14-9 run out of the locker room to take a lead until the offense cooled off. Saturday was the Musketeers' best performance following the intermission as Xavier rattled off a 20-3 run in the first 7:41, highlighted by a pair of Gytis Nemeiksa 3-pointers, to take a 61-43 lead.

Nemeiksa had eight points during that stretch, Quincy Olivari added five and Xavier's defense swarmed Providence, which started the second half 1-of-11 from the field with 3 turnovers.

Desmond Claude bounces back on offense with 21

Xavier sophomore Desmond Claude was tasked to be the leader of the young Musketeers this season. Entering Saturday's game, Claude was averaging 14.8 points per game but had struggled in conference play.

In the first four Big East games, Claude was 14-of-47 (29.7%) from the field and 3-for-9 from beyond the arc. Twenty of his 51 points in that span came at the free-throw line.

In the first half, Providence led by as many as 11 (28-17) but Claude led the Musketeers' comeback effort. Claude turned in a game-high 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting in the opening 20 minutes and hit three of Xavier's five 3-pointers. Claude rattled in a triple from the top of the key and a layup in traffic to help send Xavier into the locker room with a 41-40 lead.

Both teams shot over 50% from the field in the first half. Claude had just one field goal in the second half, but his runner in the lane snapped a Providence 8-0 run with 9:04 left in regulation.

"This might've been his (Claude) overall best game of the year," Miller said. "When he's shooting like that from 3, and some of the other things he's been doing well all season long, he really becomes that complete player."

Trey Green breaks out with a career-high 23

Way back in August, Miller called guard Trey Green "one of the best shooters in the country." Green was averaging 5.8 points and shooting just 30.4% from the perimeter when arriving in Rhode Island this weekend, but the true freshman delivered in a big way.

Green was cool under pressure in a jam-packed Big East arena, knocking down decisive daggers in the second half to help Xavier keep a comfortable cushion.

With Providence focused on limiting Olivari, the Big East's scoring leader, Green turned in a career-high 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including a 5-of-8 performance from deep. Xavier built up a big lead in the second half before Providence brought life back into the arena with a 10-2 run to pull within 11. Green responded with a personal 7-0 run that included a deep trey, a mid-range jumper to beat the shot clock and a backdoor cut for a reverse lay-in to put the Musketeers up 73-55.

"It definitely felt good to play well, see the shots finally fall," Green said. "It really meant a lot to me. To see my teammates just as happy for me, it meant even more."

Miller added: "He really emerged in the game . . . He's capable of doing what he did in today's game, again. It's good to see him stick with it."

Providence pours it in from perimeter

Providence broke free from its scouting report. The Friars entered Saturday shooting just 32.8% from beyond the arc. Providence proceeded to knock down 7-of-17 from downtown in the first half, with six different players connecting. Sophomore guard Jayden Pierre led Providence with 10 points at the break.

The Friars' shooting percentage eventually leveled out, though, as Xavier's defensive intensity surged over the final 20 minutes. Providence shot just 25% from the field in the second half and 1-of-13 from the perimeter. Friars' big man Josh Oduro led Providence with 20 points and Devin Carter added 18.

Dailyn Swain gives Xavier a spark

With so much turnover on this year's roster, Xavier has lacked consistency. On any given night, a spark could be provided by a new face, who may have had a minor roll the previous night. In Wednesday's loss to UConn, it was Gytis Nemeiksa scoring 10 points in his second game since returning to the starting lineup. On Saturday, freshman Dailyn Swain gave the Musketeers energy on both sides of the ball after falling into a double-digit hole.

Swain went high for a rebound and pushed the ball ahead for a Dayvion McKnight bucket. On the next possession, Swain swatted a shot by Providence big man Josh Oduro, then kicked to Trey Green for a triple. Swain followed that with a jumper off the glass to cap a pivotal 9-3 Xavier run.

What's next?

After its first true road win of the season, Xavier will return to Cintas Center for two games next week, starting against former Musketeers' head coach Thad Matta and the Butler Bulldogs on Tuesday, Jan. 16.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What we learned as Xavier blows out Providence on the road