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03-28-2008, 09:32 AM
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/03/27/sports/28xavier02_395.jpgRaymond’s late triples propel #3 Xavier to Elite Eight in OT thriller, 79-75
By Mike Damone
“I’m just saying we’re the best Xavier team ever – ever,” said Xavier senior Stanley Burrell at a press conference this week leading up to #3 Xavier’s Sweet Sixteen match-up with the #7 West Virginia Mountaineers (26-11) in Phoenix. With the Xavier Musketeers (30-6) tying the 2003-04 squad for the longest stay in the NCAA Tournament Thursday evening in advancing to just the second Elite Eight in the program’s history, it’s getting tougher to argue with Burrell.
Xavier had the game lost on almost as many occasions as it had won, but there can now be no more question as to Xavier’s mental toughness against larger-conference programs that often boast greater size and strength. BJ Raymond (8 points) buried two of probably the biggest three’s of the season – one to take the lead for good and one to ice the game – to give the Musketeers a heart-stopping victory over West Virginia, 79-75, in overtime. This “comeback kids” story, however, may not be quite as sexy. Xavier was a 3-seed and did hold a 28-10 lead with 9:09 left in the first half. But unless you’d been following this college basketball season for only 10 minutes, you’d know Bob Huggins’ West Virginia Mountaineers would not go quietly.
Xavier’s early 18-point lead exuded its balance, as five different players accounted for the early margin, including eight points from Josh Duncan and seven from Derrick Brown. The Musketeers’ tight man-to-man defense forced the Mountaineers to go 3-for-16 early, often spending much of the shot clock before executing. The Mountaineers would follow their stagnant offensive effort, however, with a 15-4 run to cut the Xavier halftime lead to seven, 32-25.
Out of halftime, the Mountaineers began the half on an 8-2 run, cutting Xavier’s lead to just one, before Jason Love (4 pts, 10 reb) laid it in to push the lead back to three, 36-33, with 17:03. Da’Sean Butler (16 pts, 7 reb) would hit a three to trim Xavier’s lead back again to one, 41-40, with 14:50 left, but five-straight points from a Duncan (26 pts, 5 reb) hoop-and-foul and short jumper from Brown (9 pts) pushed Xavier’s lead back to six, which would be the furthest the Musketeers could distance themselves from West Virginia the rest of the way.
An 11-3 run, capped by a Butler lay-up, gave the Mountaineers their first lead of the ballgame, 51-50, with 9:45 left. The teams would exchange leads and ties leading up to the final, dramatic moments. With just 2:24 remaining in regulation, and Xavier trailing by three, Duncan muscled his way inside for a kiss off the glass, while drawing the foul from West Virginia star Joe Alexander (18 pts, 10 reb). Duncan made good on the free throw to tie the game at 62.
On the ensuing possession, the Mountaineers had four chances to take the lead, but were unable to punch the ball in before Duncan grabbed the rebound and was fouled in the melee. Once again, Duncan hit both freebies to give Xavier the lead with 1:28 left. Alexander would misfire on the next Mountaineer possession, allowing Xavier one final chance to put WVU to bed. But Butler rebounded Drew Lavender’s (9 pts, 7 ast) off-balance jumper, and the Mountaineers would burn a timeout to set up for a final shot.
On the possession, Alexander was fed just outside the low block, turned, banked in the game-tying shot off the glass and was fouled by Love, giving the Mountaineers a chance to take the lead with just 14 seconds left. Alexander missed the free throw, but Lavender’s potential game-winner rimmed out as the second-half horn sounded, sending the game to overtime.
Xavier fans need not be reminded of the last NCAA Tournament overtime game in which the Musketeers participated, when Xavier fell 78-71 to #1 Ohio State in the second round in 2007. The Mountaineers began the extra frame with a lay-up and foul to give them an early three-point lead. An Alex Ruoff (14 pts, 5 reb) lay-up gave WVU their largest lead of the game, 71-65, with 3:24 left in overtime. It was at this point the Musketeers would make their final charge. Raymond cut the deficit to four off a lay-up, followed by a Burrell (8 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast), left-handed lay-in that brought the Musketeers to within two, 71-69, with 2:37 remaining.
A Joe Mazzulla (10 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast) free throw pushed WVU’s lead back to three, 72-69, but a long, Lavender three knotted the game, 72-72, for the first time since overtime began. Mazzulla answered on the other end to put the Mountaineers back on top, but on Xavier’s next possession, Raymond caught a pass off a screen just beyond the top of the key, turned and swished his first three of the game to put Xavier on top with 1:22 left, 75-74. West Virginia turned the ball over on the following offensive possession, allowing Xavier to run the clock before trying a dagger. Lavender’s attempt was forcefully rejected out of bounds by a Mountaineer, and the Musketeers would have just two seconds on the shot clock with which to work.
On the in-bounds, Burrell used up nearly every bit of the five-second limit before finding Raymond alone on the right wing. Burrell’s pass skipped to Raymond, who collected it, set and buried the three to put Xavier up, 78-74. The consecutive threes were Raymond’s only made jump shots of the contest, and probably could not have come at a more opportune time.
The Mountaineers final possessions went empty as the game clock ran out, prompting Burrell to fling the ball into the crowd in celebration while Xavier players rushed the floor. The win gives Xavier its second berth in the Elite Eight in school history, with the previous and only other one coming in 2004 on the shoulders of former Xavier stars Lionel Chalmers, Romain Sato and Anthony Myles.
Duncan led all scorers with a game-high 26 points, also a career-high. Duncan’s career performance in practically willing Xavier to the win was reminiscent of former Xavier forward Justin Cage’s 25-point, 8-for-8 effort against Ohio State in last year’s aforementioned second round of the Tournament, though Duncan’s effort parlayed into a more favorable conclusion.
Xavier will now face the #1 UCLA Bruins (34-3) for a chance to go to San Antonio for the school’s first-ever Final Four appearance. The Bruins knocked off the #12 Western Kentucky Hilltopers on Thursday evening, 88-78.
By Mike Damone
“I’m just saying we’re the best Xavier team ever – ever,” said Xavier senior Stanley Burrell at a press conference this week leading up to #3 Xavier’s Sweet Sixteen match-up with the #7 West Virginia Mountaineers (26-11) in Phoenix. With the Xavier Musketeers (30-6) tying the 2003-04 squad for the longest stay in the NCAA Tournament Thursday evening in advancing to just the second Elite Eight in the program’s history, it’s getting tougher to argue with Burrell.
Xavier had the game lost on almost as many occasions as it had won, but there can now be no more question as to Xavier’s mental toughness against larger-conference programs that often boast greater size and strength. BJ Raymond (8 points) buried two of probably the biggest three’s of the season – one to take the lead for good and one to ice the game – to give the Musketeers a heart-stopping victory over West Virginia, 79-75, in overtime. This “comeback kids” story, however, may not be quite as sexy. Xavier was a 3-seed and did hold a 28-10 lead with 9:09 left in the first half. But unless you’d been following this college basketball season for only 10 minutes, you’d know Bob Huggins’ West Virginia Mountaineers would not go quietly.
Xavier’s early 18-point lead exuded its balance, as five different players accounted for the early margin, including eight points from Josh Duncan and seven from Derrick Brown. The Musketeers’ tight man-to-man defense forced the Mountaineers to go 3-for-16 early, often spending much of the shot clock before executing. The Mountaineers would follow their stagnant offensive effort, however, with a 15-4 run to cut the Xavier halftime lead to seven, 32-25.
Out of halftime, the Mountaineers began the half on an 8-2 run, cutting Xavier’s lead to just one, before Jason Love (4 pts, 10 reb) laid it in to push the lead back to three, 36-33, with 17:03. Da’Sean Butler (16 pts, 7 reb) would hit a three to trim Xavier’s lead back again to one, 41-40, with 14:50 left, but five-straight points from a Duncan (26 pts, 5 reb) hoop-and-foul and short jumper from Brown (9 pts) pushed Xavier’s lead back to six, which would be the furthest the Musketeers could distance themselves from West Virginia the rest of the way.
An 11-3 run, capped by a Butler lay-up, gave the Mountaineers their first lead of the ballgame, 51-50, with 9:45 left. The teams would exchange leads and ties leading up to the final, dramatic moments. With just 2:24 remaining in regulation, and Xavier trailing by three, Duncan muscled his way inside for a kiss off the glass, while drawing the foul from West Virginia star Joe Alexander (18 pts, 10 reb). Duncan made good on the free throw to tie the game at 62.
On the ensuing possession, the Mountaineers had four chances to take the lead, but were unable to punch the ball in before Duncan grabbed the rebound and was fouled in the melee. Once again, Duncan hit both freebies to give Xavier the lead with 1:28 left. Alexander would misfire on the next Mountaineer possession, allowing Xavier one final chance to put WVU to bed. But Butler rebounded Drew Lavender’s (9 pts, 7 ast) off-balance jumper, and the Mountaineers would burn a timeout to set up for a final shot.
On the possession, Alexander was fed just outside the low block, turned, banked in the game-tying shot off the glass and was fouled by Love, giving the Mountaineers a chance to take the lead with just 14 seconds left. Alexander missed the free throw, but Lavender’s potential game-winner rimmed out as the second-half horn sounded, sending the game to overtime.
Xavier fans need not be reminded of the last NCAA Tournament overtime game in which the Musketeers participated, when Xavier fell 78-71 to #1 Ohio State in the second round in 2007. The Mountaineers began the extra frame with a lay-up and foul to give them an early three-point lead. An Alex Ruoff (14 pts, 5 reb) lay-up gave WVU their largest lead of the game, 71-65, with 3:24 left in overtime. It was at this point the Musketeers would make their final charge. Raymond cut the deficit to four off a lay-up, followed by a Burrell (8 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast), left-handed lay-in that brought the Musketeers to within two, 71-69, with 2:37 remaining.
A Joe Mazzulla (10 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast) free throw pushed WVU’s lead back to three, 72-69, but a long, Lavender three knotted the game, 72-72, for the first time since overtime began. Mazzulla answered on the other end to put the Mountaineers back on top, but on Xavier’s next possession, Raymond caught a pass off a screen just beyond the top of the key, turned and swished his first three of the game to put Xavier on top with 1:22 left, 75-74. West Virginia turned the ball over on the following offensive possession, allowing Xavier to run the clock before trying a dagger. Lavender’s attempt was forcefully rejected out of bounds by a Mountaineer, and the Musketeers would have just two seconds on the shot clock with which to work.
On the in-bounds, Burrell used up nearly every bit of the five-second limit before finding Raymond alone on the right wing. Burrell’s pass skipped to Raymond, who collected it, set and buried the three to put Xavier up, 78-74. The consecutive threes were Raymond’s only made jump shots of the contest, and probably could not have come at a more opportune time.
The Mountaineers final possessions went empty as the game clock ran out, prompting Burrell to fling the ball into the crowd in celebration while Xavier players rushed the floor. The win gives Xavier its second berth in the Elite Eight in school history, with the previous and only other one coming in 2004 on the shoulders of former Xavier stars Lionel Chalmers, Romain Sato and Anthony Myles.
Duncan led all scorers with a game-high 26 points, also a career-high. Duncan’s career performance in practically willing Xavier to the win was reminiscent of former Xavier forward Justin Cage’s 25-point, 8-for-8 effort against Ohio State in last year’s aforementioned second round of the Tournament, though Duncan’s effort parlayed into a more favorable conclusion.
Xavier will now face the #1 UCLA Bruins (34-3) for a chance to go to San Antonio for the school’s first-ever Final Four appearance. The Bruins knocked off the #12 Western Kentucky Hilltopers on Thursday evening, 88-78.