Zach Freemantle had 21 points with 12 rebounds and KyKy Tandy hit five first-half 3-pointers during his 18-point performance, as host Xavier rolled to a season-opening 101-49 win over Oakland on Wednesday in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Gardner-Webb transfer Nate Johnson hit five 3-pointers to finish with 17 points, while freshmen Dieonte Miles and Dwon Odom combined for 24 points (12 each).
It was the first career double-double for Freemantle, as he led a dominant effort by the Musketeers, who shot 60.6 percent from the field and were 13-of-33 from beyond the arc. The hosts also recorded an impressive 34 assists.
Xavier, which led 53-12 at the break, was also stout defensively, holding Oakland to 23.2-percent shooting, including 7-of-31 from distance.
Tandy was the star of the first half for Xavier. The sophomore, who averaged just 6.7 points last season, did not miss a 3-point attempt over the first 20 minutes and finished the game 6-of-10 from beyond the arc.
Xavier essentially put this contest away by the 14-minute mark of the first half. Johnson hit two 3-pointers during a 20-0 run for the Musketeers that spanned more than six minutes of the first half. The hosts also scored the final 13 points of the half and shot 64.7 percent from the field and went 8-of-18 from beyond the arc before halftime. Oakland ended that run by opening the second half with a 3-pointer from Blake Lampman.
The Musketeers' 53 first-half points were the most for the program since the 2017-18 season. Freemantle and Johnson paced Xavier through the first portion of the second half as Oakland showed more life following an awful first 20 minutes. The Grizzlies, who went 4-of-33 from the field and missed 14-of-15 3-point attempts in the first half, were out of sorts on both ends of the floor from the start.
Jalen Moore, Daniel Oladapo and Kevin Kangu each had eight points to lead Oakland.
Xavier played without two freshmen, Colby Jones and C.J. Wilcher, due to COVID-19 quarantine protocol.
--Field Level Media
