Winning time: How Xavier finished the right way to beat Marquette in Big East opener

All 40 minutes that make up a basketball game are important, but winning time is often when games are decided and on Saturday evening that crucial stretch in the closing minutes was what mattered most in Xavier's 80-71 win over Marquette for a seventh straight win that moves the Musketeers to 11-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play.

The Golden Eagles went on a 7-0 run that cut Xavier's lead to 70-69 with 3:03 to play when the Musketeers responded with a 6-0 run to put the game on ice. 

A crafty give-and-go from Colby Jones to Nate Johnson and back to Jones for a floater in the lane started it, and after Marquette missed a 3-pointer, Johnson made a no-look pass off a pick-and-pop that fooled the entire gym to get Jack Nunge an uncontested dunk.

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Even Xavier head coach Travis Steele said Johnson faked him out with the no-look pass. 

"He looked open, you know, from my angle," said Steele. "But I didn't know if he was gonna throw it, so I saw his eyes go back ... we work on that pass ... great pass by Nate. Nate played great." 

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At the other end, Nunge blocked Justin Lewis' dunk attempt. Sophomore point guard Dwon Odom collected the ball in the corner and Marquette was forced to foul. 

Odom went to the line and hit a pair of free throws, putting a bow on a career-high 19 points that pushed Xavier's lead to 76-69 with 1:11 left.

A runner on the baseline from Marquette's Greg Elliott made it 76-71 and out of a Xavier timeout, Odom made a special play to put the finishing touch on a special game.

Odom, who spent the 21 minutes he was on the floor living in the paint, drove into the teeth of Marquette's defense and as the Golden Eagles collapsed around him, Odom spun and tossed it over the top of the defense to Johnson in the corner for 3.

"They helped too much and left one of the best 3-point shooters open, if not the best," said Odom. "Hey, when you got him open you gotta throw him that ball, he's gonna knock it down." 

It was the fourth 3-pointer of the game for Johnson, who finished with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists. 

"We didn't get sped up," said Steele when asked about the way his team finished. "We played at our own pace. Landed on two (feet), found the open guy. I thought our guys executed really well on both ends of the floor. I thought defensively late we were really good. Offensively, late, we were really good as well. 

"We went small there for the last couple minutes of the game, put Colby at the four which was a good look for us, right?" 

The performance wasn't perfect – 21-of-35 from the foul line and some breakdowns defensively – but Xavier played with poise when the game was on the line and it was only a matter of time until Odom had a game like he did on Saturday. 

"Dwon was terrific," said Steele. "Both ends. His defense was great, I think he finished with three steals. He was able to pressure the ball, keep the ball in front. 

"I've said this before, but listen if you want to play off of Dwon that just helps him. He just gets downhill. He's too athletic, too strong. I mean, he jumps so high. He just pops up off the floor ... best game of the year that he's had." 

Odom was electric. He went 8-of-9 from the floor and Marquette couldn't stop him from getting into the paint and getting to the rim. 

"Their depth is a huge strength," said Marquette coach Shaka Smart. "And Odom, you know what he's gonna do, but he's still really, really good at it. He does a great job playing under control. 

"... You gotta keep a guy like that out of the paint. Odom is a great player in the paint. And he knows that and our guys know that. But he was in there way too much." 

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It was another game where Xavier's depth was clearly a difference. Jones had 11 points and eight rebounds. Nunge finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Zach Freemantle had eight points, nine rebounds and three assists. Paul Scruggs had five points and five assists. 

The Musketeers entered Saturday's game averaging around 15 turnovers a game and against a team like Marquette that brings full-court pressure the entire game, Xavier knew it needed to take care of the basketball and they turned it over oeight times. 

Xavier's back in action on Tuesday at Villanova.