03-10-2018, 11:38 AM
NEW YORK â A second-half surge for the No. 5 seed Providence erased a Xavier first-half lead, giving the No. 1 seed Musketeers the overtime loss, 75-72, and ending Xavier's BIG EAST Tournament run in the Semifinals. Xavier held a 14-point lead at the break, but PC chipped away at the advantage to pull into a tie in the closing minutes of regulation to force overtime where PC secured the three-point win. Xavier moves to 28-5 on the season and awaits its 2018 NCAA Tournament fate, to be announced on Sunday, March 11 at 6:00 p.m. on TBS.
Kerem Kanter led all scorers with 18 points and Paul Scruggs added a career-high 15 points. Naji Marshall led the Musketeers on the boards with a career-high 12 rebounds.
FIRST HALF
Xavier took the lead early, trading baskets with the Friars until a 9-3 run for the Musketeers, capped by a pair of dunks off steals, pushed the lead out to eight, 18-10, forcing Providence to call a time out with just under 12 minutes remaining in the first half.
The run extended to 14-3, including nine straight for the Musketeers, as Xavier continued to build its advantage, leading by as many as 16, 28-12, with seven minutes remaining before the break.
After the Musketeers built the 16-point advantage, PC responded with five-straight points, starting an 8-2 run for the Friars to cut the lead down to 10, 30-20.
Providence would get as close as nine, 38-29, with just over a minute remaining before the break before Xavier scored five straight to close the half, going into the break up 14, 43-29.
Paul Scruggs matched his career high in the first half, scoring 13 points on 4-of-4 shooting, including a pair of looks from behind the arc, and 3-of-3 from the free throw line.
Kerem Kanter added 10 in the first half, connecting on 4-of-5 shots from the floor.
Xavier shot 46 percent from the floor in the first half, including going 13-of-24 from inside the arc. The Musketeers owned a sizable advantage on points in the paint, outscoring the Friars 22-10 down low in the first half.
Naji Marshall grabbed a team-high seven rebounds as Xavier outrebounded Providence 24-16 in the first half.
SECOND HALF
In the first five minutes of the second half, Xavier extended the lead out to 17, 52-35, before an 8-0 PC run cut the Xavier advantage down to nine. The run started a three-minute stretch where the Friars outscored the Musketeers 12-2 to cut the lead down to seven.
A Kerem Kanter basket and free throw pushed the Xavier lead back out to 10, 59-49, with nine minutes remaining before an 8-0 burst for PC cut the lead back to two, 59-57, the closest the margin had been since the opening minutes of the game.
Kanter hit a three to stop the run, pushing the Xavier lead back to five, but after trading baskets, five straight for PC tied the game, 64-64, with under four minutes remaining.
In the final two minutes of the game, Xavier retook the lead on a pair of Trevon Bluiett free throws, but PC responded with a pair of its own, putting the game at 66-66 with under 40 second remaining.
Sean O'Mara hit a jumper with 35 seconds remaining to put the Musketeers up, but PC responded with a pair of free throws to tie the game at 68 and send it to over time.
Kanter's eight points led the Musketeers in the second period.
*Naji Marshall had four boards in the second half to lead Xavier as the Musketeers was outrebounded by the Friars 18-15 in the second half.
After committing only two turnovers in the first half, Xavier committed seven in the second half, leading to 12 points for the Friars.
Xavier connected on 8-of-27 field goals in the second half, which PC hit 16-of-29 from the floor.
OVERTIME
Trevon Bluiett gave Xavier a two-point lead to open overtime before Providence scored five unanswered to take its largest lead of the game 73-70 with under a minute remaining.
Bluiett hit a pair of free throws with 40 seconds remaining to cut the PC lead down to one. The Musketeers.
In the closing seconds, PC hit a pair of free throws to make the lead three, 75-72 with six seconds remaining. On the last play of the game, Kerem Kanter hit a three, but it was just after the buzzer to give PC the 75-72 win.
Bluiett scored all four points for the Musketeers in overtime.
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Kerem Kanter led all scorers with 18 points and Paul Scruggs added a career-high 15 points. Naji Marshall led the Musketeers on the boards with a career-high 12 rebounds.
FIRST HALF
Xavier took the lead early, trading baskets with the Friars until a 9-3 run for the Musketeers, capped by a pair of dunks off steals, pushed the lead out to eight, 18-10, forcing Providence to call a time out with just under 12 minutes remaining in the first half.
The run extended to 14-3, including nine straight for the Musketeers, as Xavier continued to build its advantage, leading by as many as 16, 28-12, with seven minutes remaining before the break.
After the Musketeers built the 16-point advantage, PC responded with five-straight points, starting an 8-2 run for the Friars to cut the lead down to 10, 30-20.
Providence would get as close as nine, 38-29, with just over a minute remaining before the break before Xavier scored five straight to close the half, going into the break up 14, 43-29.
Paul Scruggs matched his career high in the first half, scoring 13 points on 4-of-4 shooting, including a pair of looks from behind the arc, and 3-of-3 from the free throw line.
Kerem Kanter added 10 in the first half, connecting on 4-of-5 shots from the floor.
Xavier shot 46 percent from the floor in the first half, including going 13-of-24 from inside the arc. The Musketeers owned a sizable advantage on points in the paint, outscoring the Friars 22-10 down low in the first half.
Naji Marshall grabbed a team-high seven rebounds as Xavier outrebounded Providence 24-16 in the first half.
SECOND HALF
In the first five minutes of the second half, Xavier extended the lead out to 17, 52-35, before an 8-0 PC run cut the Xavier advantage down to nine. The run started a three-minute stretch where the Friars outscored the Musketeers 12-2 to cut the lead down to seven.
A Kerem Kanter basket and free throw pushed the Xavier lead back out to 10, 59-49, with nine minutes remaining before an 8-0 burst for PC cut the lead back to two, 59-57, the closest the margin had been since the opening minutes of the game.
Kanter hit a three to stop the run, pushing the Xavier lead back to five, but after trading baskets, five straight for PC tied the game, 64-64, with under four minutes remaining.
In the final two minutes of the game, Xavier retook the lead on a pair of Trevon Bluiett free throws, but PC responded with a pair of its own, putting the game at 66-66 with under 40 second remaining.
Sean O'Mara hit a jumper with 35 seconds remaining to put the Musketeers up, but PC responded with a pair of free throws to tie the game at 68 and send it to over time.
Kanter's eight points led the Musketeers in the second period.
*Naji Marshall had four boards in the second half to lead Xavier as the Musketeers was outrebounded by the Friars 18-15 in the second half.
After committing only two turnovers in the first half, Xavier committed seven in the second half, leading to 12 points for the Friars.
Xavier connected on 8-of-27 field goals in the second half, which PC hit 16-of-29 from the floor.
OVERTIME
Trevon Bluiett gave Xavier a two-point lead to open overtime before Providence scored five unanswered to take its largest lead of the game 73-70 with under a minute remaining.
Bluiett hit a pair of free throws with 40 seconds remaining to cut the PC lead down to one. The Musketeers.
In the closing seconds, PC hit a pair of free throws to make the lead three, 75-72 with six seconds remaining. On the last play of the game, Kerem Kanter hit a three, but it was just after the buzzer to give PC the 75-72 win.
Bluiett scored all four points for the Musketeers in overtime.
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