Rhody Rams lose at Xavier

Tu Holloway had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds Wednesday night, getting Xavier's sluggish offense going to an 84-66 victory over Rhode Island that kept the Musketeers locked in a second-place tie in the Atlantic 10.

Xavier (16-8, 17-3) can grab at least a share of first place when it plays at Temple (18-5, 7-2) on Saturday. The Owls rallied to beat George Washington 79-72 on Wednesday night.

The Musketeers have won five in a row against Rhode Island (5-20, 2-8) and 17 of the last 18 in their series.

Xavier was out of sync for most of the first half, throwing the ball away and missing shots. Holloway had eight points and a pair of assists during an 18-3 run throughout the closing minutes of the half and the start of the second, putting Xavier in control 33-17. The Musketeers led by as many as 25.

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