Xavier's Naji Marshall scored 28 points, Tyrique Jones recorded a double-double in the first half and the Musketeers withstood a Seton Hall rally to defeat the host Pirates 70-69 on Wednesday at Newark, N.J.

The Musketeers (14-13, 6-8 Big East) led 68-52 with a little more than six minutes remaining when Myles Cale scored eight points to ignite the Pirates' 17-2 run.

Shavar Reynolds had a chance to complete the comeback, but his 3-point attempt with three seconds left was off the mark.

Jones scored all 18 of his points in the first half and finished with 15 rebounds. Zach Hankins added 10 crucial points and was key to helping the Musketeers build their big second-half lead.

Cale led the Pirates (16-10, 7-7) with 21 points and Myles Powell added 17 points and eight rebounds.

The last time the two teams met on Jan. 2, Xavier also led by double digits with 12 minutes left in the game when Seton Hall went on a 34-14 run to win by 10.

On Wednesday, lightning almost struck again. A Marshall 3-point jumper after a Powell free throw gave Xavier its largest lead of the night at 68-52 with 6:23 to go.

Seton Hall started its comeback with an 11-0 run and when Cale's crossover, step-back 3-pointer hit nothing but net, the Pirates trailed 70-67 with just under two minutes remaining.

Reynolds, a 94-percent free-throw shooter, made two from the charity stripe to set up the frantic final moments.

The Musketeers had taken control while clinging to a 51-49 lead thanks to a 14-2 run with Marshall and Hankins doing the damage. A Hankins' dunk made the score 53-49. Marshall followed with a layup and 3-point jumper, extending the lead to 58-49.

After a Powell layup, a Hankins' hook shot pushed the lead to 60-51. Marshall followed with a corner 3 and a jumper to give Xavier a 65-51 lead.

Jones scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the first 20 minutes as the Musketeers dominated the paint in the first half, outrebounding the Pirates 26-12.

--Field Level Media