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From Sweet to Elite - Muskies Knock Out WVU
By
Jay Skeldon,
3/27/2008
For the second time in five seasons, the No. 3 seed Xavier Musketeers advanced to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament. XU rallied from down six points in overtime to defeat No. 7 seed West Virginia 79-75 in Semifinals of the West Regional. Senior Josh Duncan turned in a career-high 26 point performance and B.J. Raymond came to life in overtime, hitting two key back-to-back 3-pointers to finish with eight points. The Musketeers (30-6), who are just one win from their first Final Four appearance in school history, advance to the Elite 8 to face No. 1 seed UCLA on Saturday evening.
The game truly felt like several games rolled into one due to the intensity of the two teams, momentum swings, and sheer length of the game. In the end, it was the X-Men that were left standing when the final bell rang -- a testament to the team's depth, endurance, and heart.
Xavier opened the game as hot as it has all season. The Musketeers exploded out to an 8-0 lead to start the game, which included 3-point field goals by Duncan and sophomore Derrick Brown. WVU head coach Bob Huggins, a familiar foe to the Musketeers, was forced to call a time-out to regroup. West Virginia responded and pulled within five points, 10-5, with 14:59 remaining.
Then XU kicked the offense up yet an even higher notch, as the team ran off an 18-5 run over the next five minutes to lead, 28-10.
But, the Mountaineers (26-11) made some defensive adjustments, switching to a match-up zone, and at the same time caught fire offensively.
West Viriginia went on a 10-0 run to whittle the lead to single digits, 28-20, with 4:08 left. At intermission, the once comfortable X lead was down to just seven points.
If it wasn't clear in the first half that the Muskies would be in for a game, West Virginia removed all doubt in the first two and a half minutes of the second half. WVU's talented forwards Joe Alexander and Alex Ruoff spurred a run to pull their team within one point, 34-33, with 17:25 to play.
The Muskies maintained the lead for the next several minutes. Then a key development occurred that impacted the gameplan for the balance of the game: foul trouble. First, Xavier sufferred a crucial blow as its senior star Duncan picked up his fourth personal foul with 12:31 left, sending him to the bench.
This, in part, allowed the Mountaineers to take their first lead of the game, 52-51, with 9:45 remaining. Fouls continued to plague X as Derrick Brown picked up his fourth shortly thereafter, a key development given Brown's importance in guarding WVU's lethal weapon - Alexander.
The lead flip-flopped for the next four minutes only to have West Virginia take a three point advantage 62-59 with 2:24 left.
Back in the game, Duncan was fouled by Alexander, his own fourth foul, and converted an old fashioned 3-point play to knot the game at 62.
After Duncan then drilled two free throws to put the Muskies back in the lead with 1:28 to play, Alexander hit a deuce to tie the game at 64 with 0:14 seconds. X had a good look in the final play within regulation, but a Drew Lavender floater was off the mark and the teams head to overtime.
Things did not look favorable for the X-Men in overtime as West Virginia built a 71-65 lead with 03:24 to play. X's season hung in the balance and the Musketeers needed some answers - and quick. Enter B.J. Raymond.
Raymond was a non-factor during regulation, as the junior had a string of zeroes next to his name in the scorebook. The junior from Toledo drilled two of the biggest shots of the season -- both 3-pointers. His first trey, facilitated by a Lavender screen at the top of the arc, propelled X to a 75-74 lead with 1:22 remaining. On the next offensive possession, Raymond received a perfect, cross-court inbounds feed from the sideline by Stanley Burrell to pump home a game-sealing triple.
In addition to Duncan and Burrell's clutch performances, the C.J. Anderson added a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. Derrick Brown, who eventually fouled out, played nobly on defense against Alexander and finished with nine points and five rebounds. XU guards Drew Lavender added nine points and a game-high seven assists, while Stanely Burrell chipped in eight points and five assists.
Both teams shot comparably from the field (XU 47.4%, WVU 42.4%); however, one pivotal difference in the game was 3-point shooting. The Musketeers hit 11-of-19 3-pointers for 57.9 percent, while West Virginia made just 1-of-11 treys (9.1%).
In addition, Xavier won the of the glass, 41-38.
Next up for Xavier is No. 1 seed UCLA in the Finals of the West Regional on Saturday. The 34-3 Bruins defeated No. 12 seed Western Kentucky 88-78 on Thursday evening.
Xavier and UCLA have faced each other just one other time, resulting in a Xavier loss in the 1996-97 season. Game time is set for 6:40 EST on Saturday at U.S. Airways Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. The winner of the matchup will earn a trip to the 2008 Final Four in San Antonio.
Video Highlights | Box Score | Updated Brackets
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