Swamigp’s Weblog

B.J. Raymond hit two threes in the final 1:18 of overtime to send the Xavier Musketeers to a thrilling overtime victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers. Josh Duncan, playing most of the second half and overtime with 4 fouls, scored a career high 26 points to push Xavier into the Elite Eight with a 79-75 win.  Xavier clawed back in overtime after West Virginia gained a 71-65 lead on a 8-0 run to start the overtime period. Xavier went on a 13-3 run, 8 of those points by Raymond, to gain a 78-74 lead with 30 seconds to go. B.J. Raymond’s second three of overtime got them to that point, making a three off and inbounds pass with 2 seconds on the shot clock, putting the dagger into the heart of the Mountaineers.

Mountaineer star Joe Alexander fouled out midway through the overtime period finishing with 18 points and 10 rebounds. His lack of availability proved crucial as Xavier became aggressive to  go on their final run to put the game out of reach. De’Shan Butler led West Virginia behind Alexander with 16 points and 7 rebounds. Alex Ruoff chipped in 14 points and Joe Mazzulla added 10 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

Xavier’s guard Drew Lavender who struggled all night long, hit a three in overtime to tie the game at 72 with just over 2 minutes left. He finished with 9 points on only 3-11 shooting, but did add 7 assists.  C.J. Anderson scored a very effective 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, proving to be a very good inside presence throughout the game.