Tu Holloway scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half and Jamel McLean had 19 points and 12 rebounds, leading Xavier to a 72-45 win over Rhode Island on Sunday.
Kenny Frease had nine points and Mark Lyons scored eight as Xavier (9-5, 1-0 Atlantic-10) won on the road for the first time this season with strong defense.
The Musketeers held Rhode Island (9-6, 0-1 ) to 24.6 percent shooting, including 3 for 27 from 3-point range, and had a 38-10 edge in rebounding.
Xavier, meanwhile, shot 53.2 percent from the field and made 6-of-14 3s.
Rhode Island used an 8-0 run to take a 12-11 lead with 12:26 to go in the first half, but Xavier responded with a 12-0 spurt and never again trailed. Rhode Island got as close as 12 points early in the second half but never rallied.
Delroy James scored 13 points for Rode Island.
