Hobbled No. 9 Xavier hangs on

Kerem Kanter had 16 points and 13 rebounds and No. 9 Xavier, playing the second half without three starters, held off Marshall 81-77 on Tuesday in Cincinnati.

Xavier led by as many as 23 points but was outscored 50-34 in the second half. C.J. Burks buried a 3-pointer with 21 seconds left to make it a five-point game, but Kanter sealed the Musketeers’ victory with two free throws 10 seconds later.

Marshall’s Jon Elmore hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Xavier (11-1) didn’t have starters J.P. Macura (blurred vision) and Kaiser Gates (dizziness) the entire game as both were being held out for precautionary reasons. Freshman Naji Marshall, who was moved into the starting lineup, took a hard fall near halftime and didn’t play the second half.

Although Marshall (8-4) entered the game with the nation’s eighth-ranked offense (90.2 points), Xavier held the normally frenetic juggernaut to a season-low 27 first-half points.

Marshall found its rhythm after the break. A 10-0 run set the tone, but the Musketeers persevered despite 29.2 percent second-half shooting.

Ajdin Penava led Marshall with 25 points. Elmore entered the game averaging 24.2 points but finished with 16. Burks added 18.

Freshman guard Trae Young tied a Division I record with 22 assists and had a gamehigh 26 points to lead No. 17 Oklahoma to a 105-68 rout of Northwestern State.

Three other players have had 22 assists in a game: Sherman Douglas (Syracuse) in 1989, Tony Fairley (Charleston Southern) in 1987 and Avery Johnson (Southern) in 1988.

Assists became an official statistic in 1983-84.

Arizona announced that junior guard Allonzo Trier is day to day after bruising his left knee during the 18th-ranked Wildcats’ 83-53 victory over North Dakota State on Monday night.

Trier, who’s averaging 21.7 points per game, sat out practice Tuesday.

“It’s scary as a player when you feel that in your knee,” Arizona coach Sean Miller said. “... Hopefully he’s good for the long haul.”

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